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T H E 



BIBLICAL 



REASON WHY: 



Family Griiide to Scripture Readings, 



HAND-BOOK FOR BIBLICAL STUDENTS. 



BY THE AUTHOR OP 

'THE REASOM- WHY— G-ENERAL SCIENCE," "THE REASOjST WHY— 
NATXTRAL HISTORY," " THAT'S IT, OR PLAIN TEACHING," ETC. 



ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS. 



This 'Work gives REASONS founded upon the Bible, and assigned by the most eminent Divines 
and Christian Philosophers, for the s^eat and all-absorbing events recorded in the History of the 
Bible, the Life of our Saviour, and the Acts of His Apostles. " ,-J 



NEW YORK: 
DICK & FITZGERALD, PUBLISHERS, 

No. 18 AxN Street. >^ y^-—^ — 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1859, by 

DICK & FITZGERALD, 

In tlie Clerk's Office of the United States District Court of the Southern District of 
New York. 



INTEODUCTION. 



^S r 






^*^^|^:5ir^JIE study of tbe 
Bible has ever 
been, and will 
always con- 
tinue, a deep- 
ly interesting- 
one to every 
earnest and 
faithful Chris- 
tian; because 
it contains the 
seeds of that 
knowledge of 
salvation so 
essential to his 
soul's welfare. 
Many clever 
and learned 
commenta- 
ries have been 
written on the 

Holy Scriptures, displaying, on the part of their authors, 
deep and profound erudition ; but as many, who are, per- 
chance, well acquainted with its sacred truths in their own 
language, may not be sufficiently, if at all, versed in the 
Hebrew, Chaldaic, or Grreek — the original languages in 
which both the Old and New Testaments were written — 




IV INTEODUCTION. 

these commentaries are to them sealed books, and manj a 
passage is regarded as difficult and obscure for want of some 
plain and simple explanation of a particular custom or 
characteristic, that might at once clear away the cloud of 
darkness hanging over it. 

Another class of persons there are who have not had 
many educational advantages, and are able, not without 
labour and difficulty, to read their Bible. They must often 
feel the want of some book that would help them in their 
Biblical stud}^, and, at the same time, originate for them a 
new train of thought. 

There is also the rising generation — that great hope of 
Christ's kingdom — of whom our Saviour said, " Suffer 
them to come unto me:" these are the constant objects 
of Christian solicitude ; to them the Book of Life has to be 
opened, and its precious contents explained and applied. 

JSTo opinion has been adduced that does in any, or 
the slightest degree militate against the grand fundamental 
doctrines of our holy religion, as for instance, the Doctrine 
of Baptism, or of the Trinity; nor is there anything 
throughout the whole work that is not perfectly consonant 
with the tenets of our Christian churches. 

That this work, though not pretending to rival in 
scholarship, or profound learning, its older and more able 
predecessors in Biblical lore, may yet be the means of help- 
ing many a sincere and right-minded Christian in the study 
of the Book of Life ; and also may lead many a careless 
reader and hearer of its sacred truths to a more hearty 
longing for greater spiritual knowledge and growth in 
heavenly wisdom, is the most earnest wish and desire of 

A Clergyman. 



PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. 



In introducing the " Biblical Reason Why " to the American 
reader, the Publishers conceive it judicious to put on record their 
honest reasons ; to place themselves rectus in curia, as the lejial gen- 
tlemen say, in the premises. They desire to assume higher ground 
than the exclusively business one of common mercenary impulses. 
They desire to have it understood that a leading motive in their 
enterprise was a disposition to popularise a knowledge of the Scrip- 
tures ; to remove the embarrassments which usually beset the way oi 
the unlearned multitude in the perusal of the Bible ; to smooth the 
road to an easy and thorough comprehension of its more obscure pas- 
sages; to enable the mass of the people to peruse that invaluable 
work understandingly, so as to arrive at correct conclusions for them- 
selveS;, and enjoy with more eminent satisfaction the commentaries 
and deductions of the accredited ministers of the gospel. 

In the United States, the inclinaiion to read is universal. The 
ability to read, (thanks to that spirit of progress which animates the 
great body of our political institutions !) is almost co-extensive with 
this instinct. And few Avill deny that the most interesting and advan- 
tageous subject for the popular study and reflection, in this country, 
is the Volume whose teachings constitute the basis of all our laws ; 
whose principles are confessedly recognized in all our apprehensions 
of justice ; whose tenets pulsate, like the life-blood, in every vein and 
artery of our social system ; whose code of morals sways, insensibly, 
all commerce between man and man, as well as dictates the accepted 
relationship between man and his Maker. 

Apart from all considerations of a purely devotional character, the 
Bible is a production of that character of which no one who pretends 
to have an appetite for solid information, cares to feel himself ignorant. 
But, without an intimate acquaintance with ancient history, ancient 
habitudes, and ancient learning generally, it is beyond the power oi 
the ordinary reader to impress upon his memory an ample knowledge 



VI PUBLISHERS PllEFACE, 

of Biblical facts ; he is constantly sensible of his defective erudition, 
and he may have neither the means nor the leisure to seek out for 
himself those sources of relative enlightenment which can alone 
enable him to appreciate, in all respects, the allusions and expressions 
of the inspired writings. Heads of families are more particularly 
subjected to these mortifying self-convictions, when questioned by 
eager children in regard to the more occult suggestions of the Word 
of God. To all such, this " Reason Why " must become an inestima- 
ble companion. It leaves them with no excuse for ignorance or. 
Biblical subjects. It supplies them with a convenient instructor, 
always accessible, always prompt, always satisfactory. 

To that large class of American citizens, who view the Scripture 
with a feeling more akin to reverence, and who search the inspired 
pages for that inner light, which is as their " cloud by day and their 
pillar of fire by night," to guide them in a conscientious direction 
— what a source of increased mental enjoyment the *' Reason 
Why" presents ! Puzzling paragraphs become transparent as air! 
Vague and incoherent sentences assume, at once, the beautiful pro- 
portions of exactness ! Apparent inconsistencies disappear ; and what 
before seemed susceptible of duplicate interpretations, stands forth, 
by the aid of this explanatory coadjutor, in all the rare simplicity of 
self-manifest truth. 

The Publishers deem it but justice to add, that the " Biblical 
Reason Why " will be found, on scrutiny, to be tvlioTiy divested of 
all sectarian lias whatever. It will be found exempt from evei-y 
shadow of a disposition to offend the prejudices or partialities, the 
views or opinions of any class of readers. It teaches no dogmas. 
It inculcates no special topic of faith. It contents itself with a refer- 
ence to authorities and facts, leaving the student, in every case, to 
use his own judgment and draw bis own conclusions. This strict 
impartiality should commend it to every fastidious mind ; and, as a vast 
repertory of valuable information, :"t must commend itself to every 
reflecting one. 



AUTflOE'S PEEFACE. 



A BOOK purporting to furnisli The Eeason Why of the Eible 
should, of all books, be the most interesting, and, next to the 
volume that forms the subject of its query, the most important. 

Who has not heard of the Bible ? Who, in these days, and 
in these regions of the earth at least, has not read it ? Who ia 
anconcerned in the message it conveys ? The Bible is the best 
known of books ; as it is now (thanks to the press) the most 
readily obtainable. There is not, or need not be, a single home- 
stead, whether within the sound of the " church-going bell," or 
removed to newer and less happy neighbourhoods, in which it 
does not obtain an honoured place. 

But, it may also be asked, of its tens of thousands of readers, 
how many are in possession of those data upon which a reason- 
able and intelligent confidence in its history and authority 
are founded? And it must be painfully evident that to this 
question an extremely imsatis factory answer can alone be given. 
Very much of what is learned at school is forgotten in after-life. 
This arises partly from the nature of the case, and partly from 
the fact that the knowledge communicated, from a variety of 
causes, has not been of a character to impress itself upon the 
memory. 

But the Eeason Why of the Bible should be a household 
phrase. Why we esteem the sacred volume above all others ; 
why we cherish it as the sine qua non of the domestic library ; 
why we resort to it in trouble, and hold to its revelations and 
promises, equally in sunshine and shadow, should be, of all our 
knowledge, the best grounded. 

The present work professes to have collected, not only a 
large number of answers to as many important questions, but 



Vlll AUTnOE S PEKFACE. 

to present in a brief and intelligible form the wortliiest motives 
for the credibility of the sacred Scriptures. It does not aim at 
the position and character of a commentary, strictly so called. 
From a great number of bulky and learned books the Author 
has culled the most obvious and tangible "reasons." In some 
cases the passages quoted liave been given literally ; in others 
they have been abbreviated or paraphrased ; in all cases they 
have been weighed calmly and impartially. Nor has a dogmatic 
tone been indulged. Where doctrines have been stated, the 
authorities for them have been named, and the reader has been 
left to accept them or net, accordingly as he estimates the weight 
of that authority. 

The limits of the work prevented the insertion of other im- 
portant collateral reasons for some of the facts and precepts in 
addition to those given. But it was thought that, with ordinary 
minds, one good reason for a thing was sufficient. 

The relative space occupied by the Old and New Testaments 
will be seen to be rather unequal, and not proportionate to the 
two great divisions of the Bible. The reason for such an 
arrangement has been, that in the opinion of the Author the New 
Testament claimed the larger amount of attention, and presented 
greater features of interest. Besides which, the subject had 
been less frequently considered. With respect to the latter 
portion, scarcely a point of interest or detail has been passed 
over without notice, and perhaps a larger amount of minute 
information has never before been brought together in so con- 
venient a form, or within so limited a space. 

In illustration of this the reader is referred to the instance 
of the resuscitation of Lazarus (paragraphs 880-1, page 193). 
After the miracle-working words, ''Lazarus come forth," had 
been uttered by our Saviour, the bystanders were directed to 
"loose" the restored man, and "let him go" (John xi. 44). In 
ninety-nine instances out of a hundred these words, fully 
appreciated by the friends of Lazarus, have awakened no very 
definite idea in the mind of Bible-readers. The Biblical 
Reason Why shows, by means of a small engraving and 
a short paragraph, the whole meaning and scope of such an 
order. 

Again. How many readers of the Epistles of St. Paul, 



AUTHOES PEEFACE. JX 

when turning orer that to the Galatian?, hare paused to consider 
"who, and of what character were the Galatians ? And with 
what a new interest will a American or British student peruse 
those inspired leaves, when he learns for the first time that 
these Asiatic Christians were prohahlj some of his own 
ancestors— Gauls who, under Brennus, had migrated, uncon- 
sciously as it were, to within sound of the apostolic trumpet. 

A list of authorities consulted and quoted will he found in 
the following page. It should be here stated that the list 
includes but a small proportion of the works consulted by the 
writer, who has, during many years, devoted much attention 
to Biblical subjects. The illustrations have been selected from 
the best sources, and, it is hoped, will materially assist the 
elucidation offered by the text. 

For the purpose of ensuring the greatest possibb accuracy, 
the MS. and the proof sheets were passed through the hands 
of a Biblical Scholar, whose testimony to tlie soundness, 
accuracy, and utility of the work will be found expressed in 
the Introduction which precedes these pages. 

That the perusal of his book may be attended with as much 
pleasure to the reader as has resulted from its composition, is 
the Author's heartfelt wish. 



LIST OF AUTHORITIES AND WOllKS 



CONSULTED AND QUOTED IN THE 



BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 



Abbadie's Trait e de la rcrlte de la 
Eelig. Chretienne. 

Angus's Bible Hand-book. 

Bardon's Costumes des ancien Peu- 
ples. 

Barnes, A., on the JS"ew Testament. 

Beard's Historical Evidences. 

Brown's, W., . Antiquities of the 
Jews. 

Buckingham's Travels in Palestine, 
etc. 

Bunsen's Christianity and Mankind. 

Burdoi's Oriental Customs. 

Burder's Scripture Expositor. 

Bush's Hlustration of the Scrip- 
tures. 

Butler's Analogy of Natural and 
Revealed Religion. 

Butler's Lives of the Saints. 

Calmet's Commentaix'e. 

Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible. 

Carpenter's Natural History of the 
Scriptures, Litterale sur tons les 
livres de 1' Ancien et du Noveau 
Testament. 

Carr's Manual of Roman Antiqui- 
ties. 

Chalmers' Biographical Dictionary. 

Chordin's Voyages en Perse et 
autres hieux d'orient. 

Conybear's Epistles of St. Paul. 

Cox's Biblical Antiquities. 

Cruden's Concordance. 

Davidson's Introduction to the New 
Testament. 

Didron's Christian Iconography. 

Douay Bible. 

Encyclopaedia of Religious Know- 
ledge. 

Eoxe's Acts and Monuments. 

Herzog's " Real Eneyklopiidise," 
translated by Bomberger. 

Humphreys' Manual of Coins, etc. 



Hug's Introduction to the New 
Testament. 

Jahns' Biblical Archgeology. 

Jahns' Hebrew Commonwealth. 

Jenks' Companion to the Bible. 

Jones's Proper Names of the Old 
Testament. 

Josephus's Works, by Whiston. 

Kitto's Cyclopsedia of Biblical Li- 
terature. 

Kitto's Pictorial Bible. 

Macknight's Truth of the Gospel 
History. 

Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo 
to Jerusalem. 

Michselis' Mosaisehes Reeht. 

Murray's Truth of Revelation De- 
monstrated, by an Appeal to 
G-ems, Coins, etc. 

Oxford Bible, A.D. 1769. 

People's Dictionary of the Bible. 

Rhemish Testament. 

Roberts's Oriental Illustrations of 
the Scriptures. 

Robinson's Biblical Researches. 

Smith's Dictionary of Greek and 
Roman Antiquities. 

Stackhouse's History of the Bible. 

Stuart's Commentary on the Apo- 
calypse. 

Watkins's Biographical Dictionary. 

Watson's, Bishop, Apology for the 
Bible. 

Watson's, R,, An Exposition of 
the Gospels of St. Matthew and 
St. Mark, etc. 

Watson's, T., Popular Evidences of 
Natural Religion and Christianity. 

Whitby's Paraphrase and Comm.en- 
tary on the New Testament. 

Wiseman's Lectures on the Connec- 
tion between Science and Re- 
vealed Religion. 



IKDEX, 



C3=- The JYuuhers, except wliere otherwise indicated, refer to the Questions. The 
various titles of our Saviour, such as "our Lord,^' "Jesus," " Christ/' etc., 
have leen entered under the one appellation of "Jesus;" so that most of 
the Questions relating to our Saviour will be found in one part of the 

Index. 



Aaeon, why did the rod of, burst 

into blossom 216 

Abel, why killed by his brother Cain 54 
Abel, why was Divine favour exhi- 
bited towards 55 

Abiathar, why deposed . . . 362 
Abihu and Nadab, why did they 

perish by fire 189 

Ablution, ceremonies of, why insti- 
tuted 196 

Abner, why did he proclaim Ishbo- 

sheth king of Israel . . . 325 
Abner, why did he offer to deliver up 

Ishbosheth 327 

A bner, why slain by Joab . . . 328 
Abram, why called to depart from 

his country and kindred ... 82 
Abram, why did he not return to his 

friends after the famine ... 84 
A bram, Jewish traditions of his father 

and uncle 85 

Abram, why did he pretend that his 

wife was his sister only ... 83 

Abram, why blessed by Melchisedek 91 
Abram, why did he take Hagar to 

wife 94 

Abram, why was his name changed . 08 

Abram, signification of the name , 99 
Abraham, why did the three angels 

appear to him 100 

Abraham, why commanded to sacri- 
fice his son Isaac .... 103 
Absalom, why did he slay his brother 

Ammon 339 

Absalom, why did he fly the kingdom 339 
Absalom, why did he revolt against 

David 340 

Aceldama, why purchased . . . 1050 

Acban, why stoned to death . . 245 

Acts of the Apostles, why written . 1150 

Acts of the Apostles, why so called . 1152 
Adam, why so named . . .42 

Adam , why did he name the animals 44 
Adonijah, why did he aspire to be 

king 357 

Adonijah, why did he fly for refuge 

to the horns of the altar , . 359 

Adonis, a heathen Greek idol . . 54S 

Agrippa II., account of . . . 1309 

Ahab, why did he put IN'aboth to death 403 

Ahasuerus, edict of, against the Jews 447 
Ahithophel, why his counsel was not 

taken 344 

Ahithophel, whv did he liang himself 314 



Aholiab and Bezaleel, why inspired . 

Alabaster ware 

Alexander the Great .... 

Alexander the coppersmith 

Alleluiah, meaning of . . . 

Alms, directions concerning distri- 
bution of 

Alpha and Omega, why the names 
are applied to Jesus Christ 

Alpha and Omega, meaning of the 
words 

Altar, Greek ..... 

Altar, perpetual fire on . . , 

Ambrose, St. 

Amen, why used as a name 

Amen, why does the Bible conclude 
with the word .... 

Amos the prophet, why sent 

Amos, his ministry, its date 

Ananias and Sapphira, why so se- 
verely punished .... 

Ancients, why did they strew ashes 
upon their heads . . . . 

Andrew, St , account of . . . 

Angel at Bethlehem, why did he utter 
the words " Fear not" , 

Angels at Bethlehem, why did they 
sing " Peace on earth," etc. . 

Angels, the, of children, Jewish views 
concerning 

Angel at the sepulchre, why did he 
sit there 

Angel, meaning of the term 

Anna, the prophetess, why so called . 

Antipas 

Antiochus, king of Syi'ia . 

Apocrypha, its meaning 

Apocrypha, why should the books so 
called be read and considered 

ApoUos, cause of the dispute in which 
his name occurs .... 

Apostle, meaning of . 

Apostles, why to set forth without 
two coats, without shoes, and with- 
out a stafl:' 

Apostles and discij)lcs, why did they 
remain quietly at Jerusalem after 
the ascension of our Lord 

Apostles, why did they receive the 
gift of tongues . . 

Apostles, what was the first form of 
worship adopted by them 

Apostles, why did they invoke Jesus 
" of jSTazaretli" .... 



177 
972 
548 
1381 
983 

873 

1435 

1426 

548 

191 

1468 

1444 

1456 
522 
523 



4S9 
596 



790 

1129 

1424 
678 

1435 

54S 

11 

549 

1330 
591 



832 

IIGO 
1168 
1182 
X185 



INDEX. 



Apostles, why twelve in number , 593 
Apostles, why did they use Solomon's 

porch as a place of meeting . .1197 
Aquila and Priscilla, notice of . . 1280 
Arabs, what was the ordinary dress of 1087 
Archelaus, why deposed . . . 713 
Areopagus, its character . . . 1274 
Ark, why was Noah commanded to 

build it 63 

Ark, why did it occupy so many years 

in building 69 

Ark, why considered to be a figure 

of baptism ..... 71 
Ark of the covenant, representa- 
tion of 184 

Ark, capture of, by the Philistines . 285 
Ark, why allowed to rest at Xirjath- 

jearim .-,... 286 
Ark, how conveyed .... 332 
Ark, why those were punished who 

incautiously touched it . . . 332 
Ark, removal of, from the house of 

ObedEdom 333 

Ark, why did David dance before it_ . 334 
Asshur, why is the mention of this 

person especially interesting . 73 

Assyrian archers, representation of . 392 
Athanasius, St., account of . . 1462 
Athenians, why did they set up an 

altar to the "unknown God" . 1276 
Augustin, St., account of . . . 1466 
Baal, prophets of, why challenged by 

Elijah 398 

Babel, tower of, why built . . 74 

Babel, why so called .... 76 
Babylon, symbolical use of the word 1452 
Balak, why he sent for Balaam . . 224 
Balaam, why sent for by Balak, king 

of Moab . . . . . .224 

Balaam, why held in detestation by 

the Jews 225 

Bahsta 549 

Barnabas, St., why so named . . 1193 

'Bartholomew, St 603 

Basil, St., account of . . . 1476 

Beelzebub, meaning of the word . 859 
Bel and the dragon .... 549 
Belshazzar, what was the occasion of 

the handwriting on the w all . . 506 
Bereans, why commended . . . 1272 
Bethlehem, why the journey to, was 

painful to Mary and Joseph . . 672 
Bethesda, pool of, its peculiarities . 781 
•Bethesda, signification of the name . 782 
Bezaleel and AhoUab, why inspi- 

rated 177 

Bible, why the most venerable and 

interesting of books ... 1 
Bible, why so named .... 2 
Bible, when first rendered into the 

Saxon tongue 3 

Bible, Coverdale's version of the, 

(page) 5 
Bible, Matthew's edition of the (page) 6 
Bible, Cranmer's version of the (page) 6 
Bible, the Geneva version of the, 

(page) 6 
Bible, Taverner's version of the (page) 6 
Bible, Parker's, or the Bishop's, ver- 
sion of the . . . (pasre) 6 



Bible, why are certain words printed 

in italics 20 

Bible, Koman Catholic or Douay, 

why so called 21 

Bible, why commencing with these 

words, " In the beginning" . . 29 
Bible, why not a history of the world 57 
Bishops and deacons, New Testament 

meaning of those titles . . . 1356 
Blind man, superstitions of the dis- 
ciples respecting human afilictions 

corrected by Christ . . . 821 

Blind man, why bidden by Christ not 

to publish his praises . . . 823 
Boot and shoe, Koman . . . 737 
Bossuet, his remark upon the seven 

churches 1428 

Bowing, oriental mode of . . . 418 
Bowing, modern Persian mode of . 420 

Boxers, Roman 1339 

Cain, why did he kill Abel . . 54 

Cain, whv a mark was sit upon him . 56 
Cain, why did he build a city . . 57 
Caiphas, prophecy of . . . . 989 
Calendar, origin of the . . . 1492 
Calf, the golden, why set up . . 173 
Calvary, mount, why so called . . 1069 
Canaan, why taken possession of by 

the Israelites 222 

Canaan, why so called . . . 567 
Canaan, what were its limits . . 568 
Canaanitish woman, why repulsed . 895 
Candlestick, golden .... 369 
Canon, derivation of the term . . 11 
Capsa or scrinium for the reception 

of MSS., representation of . . 622 
Cherubim, Egyptian representation of 184 
Christians, why disputes have arisen 

among them in reference to the 

sacraments 1020 

Christians, sufferings of the early . 1346 
Chronicles, first and second books of, 

why written » . . . . 419 
Chronicles, the, why so called . . 420 
Chronicles and Kings, books of, why 

several variations between them . 421 
Chrysostom, St., account of . . 1464 
Circumcision, why instituted . . 97 
Circumcision, why did Jesus Christ 

submit to it . . . . . 682 
Cities of the plain, why destroyed . 101 
Clement, account of . . . . 1358 
Cleopas, account of . . . . 1142 
Cock-crowing, why alluded to by 

our Lord 1044 

Codex, origin and meaning of the 

word 623 

Cold water, cup of, why the ofiering 

of one is significant . . . 776 

Colossians, the epistle to the, why 

written 1360 

Combats, ancient, customs of . . 902 
Cooking, ancient .... 202 
Corinthians, epistle to the, why written 131<0 
Covenant, ark of the .... 184 

Cow, Egyptian 127 

Creation, why said to be completed 

in six days 31 

Cross, why the inscription set over the 1082 
CruQifixion 1069 



Crucifixion, why the most painful 
mode of death .... 1076 

Crucifixion, the, why did Christ so 
soon die 1099 

Crucifixion, the, meaning of the 
phrase " from the sixth unto the 
ninth hour" 1096 

Crucifixion, why, at the moment of 
his death, did Christ cry out with a 
loud voice 1097 

Crucifixion, why did the executioners 
not break the legs of our Lord , 1101 

Crucifixion, why did the soldiers 
pierce the side of our Lord . . 1103 

Crucifixion, why the flowing of the 
water and blood from the side of 
Christ is related only by St. John . 1105 

Cushan, king of Mesopotamia, wliy 
raised 257 

Cyprian, St., account of . . . 1474 

Cyril, St 1472 

Daniel, book of, why so called . . 496 

Daniel, account of ... . 497 

Daniel, interpretation of the waiting 
on the wall 507 

Daniel, why thrown into the den of 
lions 508 

Daniel, why could he not be released 
by Darius 510 

Daniel, how preserved from the lions 512 

Daniel, prosperity of . . . . 513 

Daniel, why are his prophecies par- 
ticularly interesting . . . 514 

Daniel foretells the time of the 
coming of the Messiah . . . 515 

David, why did he fight with Goliah . 303 

David, why brought to Saul's presence 307 

David, why did he flee to Achish, the 
king of Gath 311 

David, why did he feign madness 
•while with Achish .... 312 

David, why did he spare Saul . . 314 

David, why did he spare the life of 
Saul a second time .... 316 

David, why did he order the Amale- 
kite to be put to death . . . 324 

David, why did he sulier Ishboshetli 
to remain two years unopposed . 326 

David, why did he suff'er the ark of 
God to remain at Perez-uzzah . 331 

David, why did lie remove the ark 
from the house of Obed Edom . 333 

David, why despised by Michael his 
wife 334 

David, why was his request to build 
the temple refused .... 336 

David, why displeased with Joab . 348 

David, why did he number the people 352 

David, why called a man after God's 
own heart . , . . . 355 

David, why did be command Solomon 
to punish Joab and Shimei . . 359 

David, \\hy was the term "Son of 
David" hateful to the Romans . 987 

DeaconSjWhy were the seven appointed 1201 

Deluge, why the universal to be be- 
lieved apart from the Eiblical nar- 
rative 67 

Demas I379 

Demetrius Phalereus, advice of . 15 



Deuteronomy, charaeteristies of 

Dionysius the Ai eopagiie . 

Disciples, why were they not to fast 
while Christ was with them . 

Disciples, why alarmed at the appear- 
ance of Jesus during the storm 

"Disciple, the," \\hy St. John so 
designated himself .... 

Doves, sellers of, in the temple, Avhy 
mentioned in the same passage as 
the money-changers 

East, symbolism of the 

Eastern bottle, representation of 

Ecclesiastes, book of, why so called . 

Eden, garden of, why formed . 

Eden, garden of, why so called . 

Eden, garden of, why the Tree of Life 
was planted in it . 

Eden, garden of, promise made to our 
first parents after their expulsion . 

Eglon,"king of Moab, why raised up 

Egypt, ten plagues of. . . , 

Egyptian cow, representation of 

Egyptians, why said to have been 
enslaved by Joseph .... 

Egyptians, no right of property. 

Egyptian steward, representation of. 

Egyptian sorcerers, how enabled to 
counterfeit the miracle of Moses's 
rod 

Egyptians, oi'naments of the 

Egyptian customs in cases of death . 

Elders, seventy, why appointed. 

Eli, wickedness of the sons of . 

Eli, what was the immediate cause of 
his death 

Elijah, why fed by ravens . 

Elijah, why called the Tishbite . 

Elijah, why did he dwell with the 
widow of Zarephath 

Elijah, why did he challenge the pro- 
phets of Baal 

Elijah, why was vengeance vowed 
against him by Jezebel . 

Elijah, why did he bring fire from 
heaven 

Ehj ah, why was he carried to beaven 
in a chariot of fire .... 

Elijah, parting of, with Elisha . 

Elisha, why were the children who 
mocked him killed by bears . 

Elisha, why did he sweeten the bitter 
waters of Jericho .... 

Elizabeth, why has the name a sig- 
nificant character . . . , 

Elizabeth, why did her child, as yet 
unborn, " leap " at the approach of 
the mother of Jesus 

Elymas the sorcerer, why struck blind 

Elymas, blindness of, why said to be 
only for a season .... 

Enoch, why was he translated . 

Enoch, the book of, mentioned ill Jude 
14 

Ephesians, the epistle to, why vrritten 

Epliesus, l)ooks burnt at, in the pre- 
sence of the apostle 

Ephesus, tlie angel of the church of, 
addressed 

Ejihesus, coin of .... 



182 
1278 

828 

865 

1126 



779 
972 
785 
475 
37 
38 



50 
257 
156 
127 

133 
134 
129 



153 

188 
787 
212 
283 

284 
393 



401 
405 



407 
40S 

409 

410 

661 



663- 
1237 



1239 



1415 
1343 



12S9 



1427 



XIV 



INDEX. 



Ephratah, why affixed to BetMehem. 673 
Epicurean and Stoic philosophies, 

statement of . . . . . 1277 
Esau, why so named .... 108 
Esau, why the name of Edom was 

apphed to him 109 

Esther, book of, why so called . . 434 
Esther, writer of the bo A of . . 435 
Esther, book of, date o^ the events 

narrated therein .... 437 
Esther, what circumstances led to 

her elevation 439 

Esther, how introduced to king 

Ahasuerus 442 

Esther endeavours to save Mordecai. 449 
Esther, why invited into the king's 

presence 450 

Esther, request of, to the king . . 451 
Esther, intercession of, on behalf of 

the Jews ...... 458 

Eusebius, account of . . . . 1490 

Eve, formation of, out of a rib of 

Adam 45 

Excommunication practised by St. 

Paul 1341 

Exodus, book of, why so called . . 138 
Ezekiel the prophet, why raised up , 493 
Ezekiel, book of, divisions and con- 
tents of 494 

Ezekiel, prophecy of, why remarkable 495 
Ezra, book of, why written . . 424 
Ezra, book of, contents of . . . 425 
Ezra the prophet, why called the 

son of Seraiah . . . o . 426 
Ezra, why is the era of this prophet 

interesting 428 

Ezra and Nehemiah, books of, leading 

facts contained in . . . . 433 
False teachers, why warnings were 

given concerning them by Christ . 828 
Fathers of the Church, account of . 1480 
J- athers of the Church, why so called 1459 
Feast of Tabernacles, why instituted 208 
Fehx, account of ... . 1301 
Felix, why superseded by Festus . 1305 
Festus, account of ... . 1307 
Festus, why did he declare St. Paul 

to be mad . . - . . 1313 
Fig-leaves, representation of . .48 
Fig-tree, symbohcal meaning of , 994 
Forbidden fruit, why did our first 

p.ireuts eat of it .... 46 
Forbidden fruit, what followed the 

eating of it 49 

Forehead, marks on the . (page) 316 
Funeral burning, first mention made 

of in the Scriptures . . .323 

Gabbatha, why so called . . . 1043 
Galatians, epistle to, why written . 1342 
Galileans mentioned in Luke xiii., 

who were they .... 963 

GaUio, account of ... . 1283 
Gamaliel, account of . . . . llf!9 
Garments, custom of rending the . 490 
Garments, why the blessed in heaven 

wear white 1450 

Gaza, the gates of, why carried off by 

Samson 268 

Gehazi, servant of Elisha, why struck 

with leprosy , . . . . 412 



Gehazi, why commanded not to salute 

any one by the way. . . . 417 
Genesis, why so called ... 27 
Genesis, contents of . . . .28 
Gentiles, why preferred to the Jews 
as the objects of Christ's second 

manifestation 679 

Gentile converts, why was the rite of 

circumcision declared unnecessary 

in their case ..... 1258 

Gentile converts, why commanded to 

abstain from meat ofi'ered to idols, 

etc 1259 

Gethsemane, situation of . . . 1030 
Gethsemane, meaning of the word . 1031 
Gibeonites, why exempted from the 
general extirpation of the Canaan- 

itish tribes 243 

God, why said to have repented that 

he had made man .... 62 
God, why did he appear to Moses in 

the burning bush .... 148 
God, two wills to be distinguished in 892 
Gods, why did men invent such a 

multiphcity of false ... 86 

Golgotha, why so named . . . 1111 
Gospels and epistles, origin of the dis- 
tinction between them in liturgies . 619 
Gospel, why so called . . . 571 

Greek altars and sacrifices . . 548 

Gregory, jS"azianzen .... 1488 
Gregory, Nyssen .... 1488 
Gulf, why said to be one fixed be- 
tween Lazarus and the glutton . 934 
Habakkuk the prophet, why sent 

from God 539 

Hagar, why expelled from her house 

by Sarai 95 

Hagar, why did she call her child 

Ishmael 96 

Haggai, account of . . . . 544 
Haggai, the prophet, why sent . . 543 
Haman, why did he cause a gaUows 

to be erected for Mordecai . . 452 
Haman, what was his end . . . 456 
Haman, why did he not at once seek 

the punishment of Mordecai . . 446 
Hebrews, how enabled to procure gold 

in the wilderness .... 187 
Hebrews, reason of their hatred of 

the Amalekites .... 445 
Hebrew children, the three, how 
enabled to pass through the fire 
scatheless ..... 503 
Hebrews, the epistle to, why so called 1391 
Hebrews, the epistle to, why written 1392 
Hebrews, the epistle to, why its 

authorship was once doubtful . 1394 
Hebrews, the epistle to, when written 1396 
Hebrews, the epistle to, principal 

contents of 1399 

Hebrews, the epistle to, why placed 

after St. Paul's other epistles. . 1398 
HeU, what is meant by saying that 
the gates of, should not prevail 
against the Church .... 834 
Heresies, why did they spring up in 

the infant Church .... 1332 
Herod the Great, notice of (page) 119 
Herod, instances of his cruelty . 707 



XV 



Herod, M'hy troubled at the advent 

of a new-born kiu,? . . . 690 

Herod, why did he give orders for the 

slaui^hter of the iunoceuis . . 693 
Herod, why did he slaughter the 

innocents ..... 706 

Herod, the cause of his death . . 70S 
HeroJ, why the name is applied in 
the ISTew Testament to dilFerent 

persons , 70i 

Herod, why did he mock Jesus . 1053 

Hilary, St., account of . , . 1478 
Hindoo self-torture .... 399 
Holy city, description of the . . 570 
Holy family, why did they fly into 

Egypt 702 

Holy family, why did they return to 

Nazareth instead of Bethlehem . 710 
Holy Ghost, sin against, why un- 
pardonable 874 

Holy Ghost, what is meant by the 

baptism of the , . . . 1155 

Holy Ghost, why did lie descend 
upon the apostles in the form of 
fiery tongues . , . . • 1162 
Holy Ghost, descent of, why accom- 
panied by a peculiar sound . , 1172 
Holy Ghost, number of persons pre- 
sent at the descent of . . . 1174 
Holy Land, why was the tferm first 

applied to Palestine . . . 569 
Horse, the white, its symbolical mean- 
ing (page) 316 

Hosanna, meaning of the word . 985 

Hosea, the prophet, why sent to the 

Jews 516 

Hosea, book of, its contents . . 519 
Human body, composition of , .43 
Human life, the term of, why shor- 
tened 61 

" Hundred and forty-four thousa,nd," 

signification of the number . . 1448 
Idolatry, how did it ai-ise ... 87 
Ink, nature of, used in ancient MSS. 626 
Inkstand, ancient Eoman . . . 627 
Inspired, the term as applied to the 

sacred writings .... 6 
Inspiration, definition of . . . 7 
Interpreters, the seventy-two . 15 

Interpreters, reception of, by Ptolemy 15 
Interpreters, where lodged . . 15 
Interpreters, presents to , . 15 

Irenaeus, St., account of . . . 1480 
Isaac, why was his youngest born 

called Jacob 110 

Isaiah, why called the evangelical 

pi'ophet 479 

Isaiah, explicitness of his predictions 430 
Isaiah, why sometimes called the 

Prince of all the Prophets . . 481 
Isaiah, account of ... . 432 
Isaiah, prophecies of, why the book 
is a strong proof of the authenticity 
of the whole Bible . . , .483 
Ishbosheth, why did his captains re- 
volt . . . . , .329 
Israel, children of, why held in bond- 
age by the Egyptians . . . 140 
Israel, why did its leaders cut oi; the 
lingers and toes of Icing Adonibezek 253 



Israel, depravity of the people of . 269 
Israel, cbildron of, why did they de- 
sire a king 288 

Israel, people of, why did they revolt 

from Rehoboam .... 383 
Israelites, slavery of ... 139 

Israelites, menial offices of . . 152 
Israelites, v/hy led by a pillar of a 

cloud and of fire .... 159 
Israelites, why pursued by Pharaob. 

and his army 161 

Israelites, miraculous feeding of . IGG 
Israelites, time of sending the quails 

and manna 167 

Israelites, why did they, set up a 

golden calf 173 

Israelites, camp of, general arrange- 
ment ...... 195 

Israehtes, why forbidden to eat 
blood ...... 193 

Israelites, why forbidden to eat 
swine's flesh ..... 203 

Israelites, why did they take posses- 
sion of the land of Canaan . . 223 
Israelites, why did they retreat be- 
fore Ai 244 

Israelites, why were they powerless 

before the Philistines . . . 295 
Jacob, why was ths name given to 

the younger son of Isaac . . 110 

Jacob, why did he fly into Mesopo- 
tamia ...... 112 

Jacob, under what circumstances 

married to Rachel and Leah . 113 

Jacob, why did he remain so long 
with Laban ..... 115 

Jacob, why did he leave Laban's 

house clandestinely . . . 117 

Jacob, why did he wrestle with the 

angel 118 

Jacob, names of his twelve sons . 122 
Jacob, why did his sons go down to 

Egypt . . . _. . .130 
Jacob, why did lie dwell in the land 

of Goshen 135 

James, St., the elder, account of . 597 
James, St., the less, account of . 607 

James, St., the epistle of, why called 
" general" ..... 1401 

James, St., the general epistle of, con- 
tents of . . . . . . 1403 

Jehu, why anointed king during the 

life of Ahab 414 

Jehu, Mccount of .... 416 
Jephthah's rash vow, why made . 257 
Jeremiah, prophecies of, why given 485 
Jeremiah, book of, its contents . 486 
Jeremiah, name of, wliy tienerally 
associated with a feeling of sad- 
ness 487 

Jeremiah, history of . . , 490 

Jericho, why did its walls fall down . 213 
Jeroboam, why did he set up tne 
worship of the golden calves at 
Bethel and iJan .... 385 
Jeroboam, appointed feasts by . . 3S6 
Jeroboam, why did his hand wither 337 
Jeroboam, wliy did he make war 

with the kingdom of Judah . . 391 
Jerome, St., ace lunt of . . . 143 



XVI 



Jerusalem, capture of, by Pompey , 

Jesus, why termed "seed of the 
woman " . 

Jesus, why was his heel said to be 
bruised by Satan .... 

Jesus, why did the band who arrested 
him carry lanterns 

Jesus, the Good Shepherd 

Jesus, why does the gospel com- 
mence with the genealogy of 

Jesus, why were no commands given 
by him for writing the New Testa- 
ment 

Jesus, why represented with, a halo 
around his head .... 

Jesus, mother of, why espoused to 
Joseph 

Jesus, why did his mother visit Eliza- 
beth 

Jesus, why was his birth first notified 
to the shepherds .... 

Jesus Christ, why so called 

Jesus, why were gold, frankincense, 
and myrrh oifered to him 

Jesus, why is it usual to bow the head 
at the mention oi" his name 

Jesus, why did the name pass out of 
common use 

Jesus, why called a Kazarene . 

Jesus, how did it happen that he was 
lost by his parents .... 

Jesus, his disputation with the doc- 
tors 

Jesus, why accompanied to Jerusalem 
by his mother .... 

Jesus, why did he choose to reside at 
Nazare-th for nearly thirty years . 

Jesus, why, after the commencement 
of his ministry, did he reside so 
short a timie at JSTazareth 

Jesus, why tempted by the Devil 

Jesus, why did he fast forty days and 
forty nights 

Jesus, why did he change water into 
wine at the marriage feast of Cana 

Jesus, why called the Lamb of God . 

Jesus, why did the Holy Ghost des- 
cend upon him in the form of a 
dove 

Jesus, why did he receive baptism 
from St. John .... 

Jesus, his first sermon at Nazareth 

Jesus, why represented as sitting 
when delivering his sermon on the 
mount 

Jesus, why did he forbid the practice 
of swearing " by thy head," etc. . 

Jesus, why did he promise a reward 
to the bestower of a cup of cold 
water s:iven in his name . 

Jesus, why did he speak in parables . 

Jesus, why called the Son of man 

Jesus, why did he choose seventy dis- 
ciples 

Jesus, why did he say, " It is easier 
for a camel to pass through the eye 
of a needle," etc 

Jesus, why did the woman touch the 
hem of his garment 

Jesus, why did he reprove the Jews 



561 

51 

53 

103 
369 

577 

615 

638 

65 

662 

670 
684. 

689 

696 

697 
712 

716 

717 

718 

722 



747 
748 



750 



814 
860 



for making observations on the 
weather „ . . . . .893 

Jesus, why were children brought to 
him 887 

Jesus, why did he eat with the publi- 
cans and sinners .... 936 

Jesus, why did he appear to approve 
of slavery 942 

Jesus, his entry into Jerusalem . 979 

Jesus, why did he commend the con- 
duct of Mary Magdalene , . 975 

Jesus, why transfigured . . . 977 

Jesus, why did he ride into Jerusalem 
upon a colt 981 

Jesus, why did he curse the barren 
fig-tree ,,.... 993 

Jesus, why did he say, " In my 
father's house are many mansions" 995 

Jesus, why did he wash his disciples' 
feet . 1012 

Jesus, why did he at last supper take 
the cup and give thanks . . 1015 

Jeeus, why did he pray that the enp 
of his aiilictions might pass from 
him 1033 

Jesus, why mocked by the soldiers , 1053 

Jesus, meekness of . . . . 1059 

Jesus, why sent to Herod . . . 1061 

Jesus, why crucified on Calvary , 1070 

Jesus, why did he sufier death by 
crucifixion 1072 

Jesus, why did he submit to unusual 
degradations ..... 1074 

Jesus, why placed between two 
robbers 1078 

Jesus, why was his death degrading 
to the Jews 1080 

Jesus, why were his garments di- 
vided among the soldiers . . 10S6 

Jesus, why did he promise the peni- 
tent thief that he should be that 
day in paradise .... 1088 

Jesus, why did he, before his death, 
address his mother . . . 1090 

Jesu^, why was the veil of the temple 
rent at his death .... 1107 

Jesus, why did the graves open at his 
death 1109 

Jesus, portrait of, probably authentic 1133 

Jesus, why did he, after his resurrec- 
tion, appear to only a part of his 
disciples 1154 

Jesus, why wiU he reappear at the 
last day in a similar manner to his 
ascension . , . . . 1158 

Jesus, why said to have been the first 
to rise from the dead . . . 1311 

Jesus, "marks of the Lord" . . 1346 

Jesus, his second appearance . . 1369 

Jew, whence is the word derived . 121 

Jews, fast-day of, in memory of the 
breaking of the tables of the law . 176 

Jews, edict against Ahasuerus, how 

rendered innocuous . . , 457 

Jews, mode of swearing among them 701 
Jews, why did they acquiesce in the 
change which constituted Judea a 
Eoman province .... 714 

Jews, why have no dealings with the 
Samaritans 766 



INDEX. 



XVU 



Jews, hatred bet-ween them and the 
Samaritans 767 

Jews, why offended by the words of 
our Saviour, "Destroy this temple," 
etc . 812 

Jews, their object in the temptation 
of the tribute-money . . . 908 

Jews, why was payment of the tri- 
bute-money odious to them . . 910 

Jewish salutation to guests . . 976 

Jews, -nhy is it said that God had 
blinded their eyes . = . . 991 

Jews, why did they not themselves 
put Jesus to death , . , , 1047 

Je\^ash shekel, representation of . 1050 

Jews, why did they spit in our Lord's 
face 1054 

Jews, why did they oifer Jesus vine- 
gar mingled with gall . . . 1092 

Jezebel, why did she vow vengeance 
against Elijah 401 

Jezebel, wife of Ahab, why was her 
blood licked up by dogs . . . 415 

Joab, why was David displeased with 
him 347 

Job, who was he .... 462 

Job, book of, history therein con- 
tained 463 

Joel, the prophet, why sent . . 520 

Joel, the prophet, signification of his 
name 521 

John, why was his gospel written . 589 

John, account of .... 599 

John, St , the evangelist, account of 588 

John, and his brother James, why 
called Boanerges .... 611 

John, why was an angel sent to an- 
nounce his birth .... 646 

Johu, why did he reside from his 
childhood in the desert . . . 724 

John, why reared as a Nazarite . 726 

John, why represented as eating "lo- 
custs a ud wild honey" . . . 728 

John, wny dressed in a raiment of 
camel s hair, etc 730 

John, year of his public appearance . 731 

John and our Lord, why thirty years 
old at the commencement of their 
public career . . , . . 732 

John, why said to prepare the way of 
the Lord 733 

John, \\ hy did he declare himself un- 
worthy t'l unloose the latchet of 
Christ's f '^oes 736 

John, why Leclared to be less than 
the least n the kingdom of heaven 738 

John, the i orerunner of Jesus, why 
called " ihe Baptist" . . . 752 

John, why did he hesitate to admi- 
nister baptism to Jesus . . . 753 

John, why did he emit any mention 
of his own name in his gospel . 1126 

John, the three epistles of, why writ- 
ten 1406 

John, why does he call himself the 
elder ...... 1410 

Jonah, the person and prophecies of, 
why interesting; .... 526 

Jonah, his mission to IS'ineveh . . 528 

Jonah, his Hip;ht and its consequences 52i^ 



Jonah, why swallowed by a great iish 530 
Jonah, why displeased that God 

should spare Nineveh . . . 532 
Jonah, why did the goui-d spring up 

.so rapidly over his booth . . 533 
Jonathan, why was he friendly to 

David . _ . . . ., .309 
Jordan, memorial stones set up . 227 
Jordan, why divided to form a passage 

for the Israelites .... 2"38 
Jordan, the river of, why so called . 235 
Joseph, why hated by kis brethren . 123 
Joseph, why did he have prophetic 

dreams 124 

Joseph, a type of Jesiis Christ . . 125 
Joseph, why sold by his brethren . 126 
Joseph, why cast into prison in Egypt 127 
Joseph, why released from prison . 128 
Joseph interprets the dreams of his 

fellow-prisoners .... 1-29 
Joseph, foreknowledge of . . . 131 
Joseph, why did he receive his 

brethren with harshness . . . 132 
Joseph, why said to have enslaved the 

Egyptians . . . . , 133 
Joseph, why was he at first troubled 

at the maternal appearance of Mary 665 
Joseph, why his occupation of car- 
penter was no disgrace to him . 657 
Joseph and our Lord, why have seve- 
ral attempts been made to prove 
that they were goldsmiths and not 

carpenters 658 

Joseph, why is it reasonable to con- 
clude that he was a carpenter . 659 
Joseph of Arimathea, accourt of . 1113 
Joshua, book of, why so called . . 234 
Joshua, history of the book of . . 234 
Joshua, why did an angehc messenger 

appear to him 242 

Joshua, why did he command the sun 

to stand stiU 248 

Joshua, why directed to divide eU the 

land on the west of Jordan . . 251 
Judah, kingdom of, why made war 
upon by J eroboam .... 391 

Judas Iscariot, who was he . . 613 
Judas, peculiar office of . . , 614 
Judas, why did he ask " Is it I " ? . 1024 
Judas, why Satan is said to have en- 
tered his heart .... 1027 

Judas, despaii' of , . . . 1050 
Judas Iscariot, why did the apostles 

elect a successor to ... 1164 

Judea, Eoman conquest of, in what 

way did it aft'ectthe Jewish worship 562 
Judea, its depressed state at the era 

of Christ's birth . , . .680 
Judges, book of, why so called . . 252 
Judges, book of, who was the writer 
of it . . . . . . .2-53 

Judges, book of, why written . . 254 
Judith, history of . . . .549 

Jude, St., account of , . . . 60S 
Jude, St., representation of . . 612 
Jude, St., the epistle of, why written 1413 
Jude, St., account of some of his de- 
scendants 1414 

Justin Martyr, account of , , 1486 

Kings, be 'ks oi, hy whom written , 354 



XVIU 



Kings, first and second books of, why 

s J caUed 353 

Kings and Chronicles, boolcs of, why- 
several variations in them as to 
names, dates, and facts . . . 431 
Knowledge, tree of, why so called . 41 
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, why 

they rebelled against Moses , . 214 
Korah, murmuring of the people after 
his death . . . . . .217 

Lamb of God, representation of . 550 
Lamentations, what are they . . 491 
Lamentations, how written , . 492 
Lanterns and torches, part of the 

equipment of soldiers . . . 103S 
Laodiceans, the angel of the church 

of the 1442 

Laodicea, notice of . c . . 1443 
Lazarus, who was he . , . . 876 
Lazarus, why did the Jews attempt 
to kill him . . . . . 878 

Lazarus the beggar, why described 

as in Abraham s bosom . ' . , 932 
Lent, fast of, from what derived . 746 
Leper, the, why "touched" by our 
Saviour ...... 889 

Leprosy, laws respecting the cure of . 191 

Levi, tribe of 201 

Leviticus, third book of Moses, why 
so called ...... 178 

Libertin-es, synagogue of the, mean- 
ing of the term .... 1297 

Life, the book of . . (page) 315 
Life, tree of, why so called . . 41 
Linen clothes, why particular men- 
tion is made of them . . . 1133 
Lion, from which St. Paul was de- 
livered 1382 

Lithostrotos, why so named ., . 1048 
Lord's prayer, why given . . . 871 
Lord's supper, why called a sacrament 1018 
Lord's supper, why so caUed . . 1010 
Lot's wife, why turned into a pillar of 

salt 102 

Luke, St. , account of . . . . 583 
Luke, why was his gospel written . 585 
Lydia, account of ... . 1265 
Lystra, people of, why did they at- 
tempt to sacrifice to Saints Paul 
and Barnabas .... 1251 

Lystra, people of, why did they stone 

Saints Paul and Barnabas . . 1253 
Maccabees, two books of . . . 549 
Magi, or wise men from the east, why 

did they come to adore our Saviour 686 
Magi, how did they know the star was 

" his" star 687 

Magi, why represented as " entering 

the house to adore" him . . . 688 
Malachi, book of, why placed last 

among the canonical books . . 547 
Malachi, meaning of the name . , 548 
Mammon, riches why so called . . 960 
Man, why said to be created in the 

" image of G-od" .... 33 
Manger of Bethlehem, why shepherds 

were found watching near . . 675 
Manna, why so called . . . 167 

Manna, why did ifc cease to fall . . 240 
Manuscripts, what first written upon 13 



Manuscripts, transcription of . . 620 

Marah, encampment of the IsraeKtes, 
why so called 164 

Marah, account of ... . 165 

Marciou, notice of . (note, page) 323 

Mark, St., his history . . .578 

Mark, why did he write his gospel . 579 

Mark, gospel of, the language in 
which it was first written . . 580 

Mark, why does he omit the com- 
mendatory expression of our Lord 
in favour of St. Peter . . . 581 

Marriage ceremony, representation 
of 962 

Mary, the mother of Jesus, why was 
she troubled at the angelic message 652 

Mary, why was the angelic message 
to her called the " Annunciation" . 654 

Mary, why did she undergo the rite 
of purification .... 691 

Mary and Joseph, why did they leave 
Nazareth 666 

Mary and Joseph, why obliged to 
lodge in a stable .... 663 

Mary and Joseph, why did they go 

I to Bethlehem 671 

I Mary Magdalene, why so called . 969 
j Mary Magdalene, account of . . 970 
j Mary Magdalene, why did she pour 
! ointment upon the head of our 

Saviour 971 

Mary Magdalene, how she approached 
the feet of Jesus .... 973 

Matthew, St., account of . . 576 

Matthew, why called Levi by the 
other evangelists .... 840 

Mediasval transcriber, representation 
of a. . . . . . .620 

Melchisedek, why did he bless Abram 91 

Melchisedek, why so often referred 
to in Scripture .... 93 

Mehtans, or Maltese, why ciUed bar- 
barians 1316 

Memori.il stones in Jordan, why set 
up 227 

Messiah, why said to crush the head 
of the serpent 52 

Micah, the prophet, at what period 
did he live 535 

Micah, prophecies of . . . . 536 

Michal, why did she despise David . 334 

Minstrels and people, why they "made 
a noise" in the ruler's house at the 
death of his daughter . . . 786 

Miraculous powers, why given to the 
apostles by Jesus .... 824 

Miraculous walking upon the water, 
why St. Peter failed _ . . .867 

Mu'a3alous multiphcation of loaves 
aiKt fishes .... .862 

Miraculous walking upon the water by 
Jesus, why a cause of alarm to the 
disciples 865 

Miraculous walking upon the water, 
why St. Peter desired to imitate 
Jesus 868 

Mocking, common practice towards 
the condemned in the east . . 1054 

Money-changers in the Temple, ac- 
count of 77R 



INDEX. 



Money in bags 13i 

Mordecai, why did lie refuse to bow 

to Haman 444 

Mordecai, what circumstance tamed 

the scale in its favour . . . 454 
Moses, a type of Jesus Christ . . 139 
Moses, why did his mother expose 

him in an ark of bullrushes . . 144 
Moses, why did he flee from Egypt . 146 
Moses, appearance of God to him in 

the burning bush .... 148 
Moses, why did he return to Egj'pt . 149 
Moses, rod of, why changed into a 

serpent 150 

Moses, rod of 153 

Viloses's rod, how the miracle was 

counterfeited by the soothsayers . 153 
Mos-?s, why did he strike the rock . 163 
Moses, hands of, why held up by Aaron 

and Hur 169 

Moses, why did he remain forty days 

on the uiount 172 

Moses, why did he break the tables of 

the law 175 

Moses, why forbidden to enter the 

promised land 21S 

Moses, his extraordinary familiarity 

Avith God 219 

Moses, burial place of, why concealed 

from human knowledge . . . 229 
Moses, why had he no successor) 

strictly speaking .... 231 
Moses, legislator of the Israelites . 231 
Multitude, v^hy is it remarked that 

"they were praying without' at 

the tune of incense . . . 615 

Multitude, why did they carry palm 

branches 979 

Mustard-tree of Scripture, nature of 788 
Nadab and Abihu, why did they 

perish by fire 189 

]S"ahum, what was the object of his 

prophecy 537 

ISTahum, time of his appearance . 538 

Naman, cure of, by Elijah . . . 413 
Napoleon the 1st, testimony'of, to the 

success of Christianity as a system 1321 
Nathan, why sent to reprove David 337 
Navigation at the era of the apostles 13S3 
Nazarites, what were the . . . 210 
Nazarene, why was the term one of 

reproach 741 

Nebuchadnezzar, why deprived of his 

reason 504 

Nehemiah, book of, why so called . 432 
Nehemiah, account of . . . 433 
Nicodemus, why he came to Jesus by 

night . ' 768 

Nicolaitanes, account of those here- 
tics 1425 

Noah, why commanded to build the 

aik 63 

Noah, why directed to take with him 
into the ark couples of every 
species of animals found in that 
rt-giou . . . . . .65 

Noah, wliy was he and his descend- 

^ ants prohibited th > eating of blood 72 
Noah, commandments given by him 
to his children , . , .87 



Noah, ark of, described ... 64 
Numbers, book of, why so called . 180 
Nunc Diraittis, occasion of the an- 
them so called , . . .698 
Obadiah, the prophet, account of . 524 
Origen, account of . . . . 1470 
Paralytic, why pardoned before being 

cured 837 

Palestine, why so called , . -. 563 

Papyrus 13 

Papyrus, method of preparing the 

leaves for writing .... 623 
Parable, the " rich man," why not 

mentioned by name . . . 931 
Parableof the ten talents . . . 946 
Parable, " There was a certain house- 
holder" 949 

Parable of the vineyard . . . 950 
Parable oi' "A certain man and his 

two sons" . . . . , 956 
Parable c<' the unjust steward . 958 

Parable of the ten virgins . . 961 

Paradise, why formed ... 37 
Paragraph (if) in the English Bible, 

why used 23 

Passover, why instituted . . . 157 
Passover, how observed . . . 153 
Patmos, the island of, its where- 
abouts 1421 

Patriarchs, why did they attain such 

extreme longevity .... 53 
Paul, St., biographical notice of _ .1207 
Paul, what were the characteristics 

o: his personal appearance . . 1208 
Paul, why said to be a tent-maker . 1210 
Paul, when Saul, why did he perse- 
cute the Christians . . . 1212 
Paul, how converted .... 1214 
Paul, how long did he remain in re- 
tirement after baptism . . . 1217 
Paul and Barnabas, why did they, at 
Antioch, wait to be bidden before 
preaching to the people . . 1240 
Paul, his visit to Cvprus, why inte- 
resting . , ' . . . . 1242 
Paul, why was the name of Saul ex- 
changed ibr it .... 1243 
Paul, why is his first sermon at 

Antiochespecially remarkable . 1243 
Paul and Barnabas, why did they 

depart from Antioch . . . 1247 
Paul and Barnabas, why did they go 

toLj-stra 1249 

Paul, why, when at Corinth, did he 

work as a tent -maker . . . 1232 
Paul, why did he claim the privileges 

of a Eoman citizen . . . 1293 
Paul, why brought several times be- 
fore Felix 1303 

Paul, why sent to Eome . . . 1315 
Paul, his epistle to the Eomans, why 

written 1322 

Paul, his first epistle to the Corinthi- 
ans, why written .... 1328 
Pavement of Prsetorium, "why re- 
markable 1049 

Peace, why was the long one naen- 

tioned in 1 Kings iv. 25 . . 372 

Pentateuch, meaning of the term . 25 
Pentecost, feast of, why so called . 19i 



XX 



INDEX. 



Pentecost, why the Holy Ghost de- i 

scended at that time . . . 1172.' 

Pergamos, the angel of the church of 1433 

Pergamos, account of . . . 1434 

Persecutions, directions for conduct 
under, given by Christ . . . 836 

Persian marriage ceremony » . 962 

Peter, St., representation of . . 593 

Peter, account of ... . 595 

Peter, why did he wait upon the 
water to Christ . . . .866 

Peter, why did he begin to sink . 867 

Peter, why was this name given to 
Simeon 899 

Peter, meaning of the word . . 900 

Peter, why told that he should 
stretch out his hands, etc. . . 901 

Peter, why did he merit the rebuke 
from our Saviour .... 903 

Peter, why did he object to our 
Lord's washing his feet . . . 1013 

Peter, why did he deny Christ . . 1042 

Peter, why did he preach his first 
sermon 1178 

Peter and John, why did they con- 
tinue for a time to practise the 
temple worship .... 1180 

Peter, why did he preach his second 
sermon 1186 

Peter and John, why were they im- 
prisoned by the Jewish rulers . 1187 

Peter and John, why is their boldness 
remarked upon by the evangelist 
John 1189 

Peter and John, why did they heal 
the lame man ..... 1184 

Peter, why did he at the council of 
Jerusalem speak first . . . 1257 

Peter, epistles of, why written . . 1404 

Pharaoh, why did he command all the 
male children of the Hebrews to be 
thrown into the Nile . . . 142 

Pharoah, why did he refuse to let the 
Israelites depart .... 151 

Pharaoh, why did he at last permit 
the Israelites to depart . . . 155 

Pharisees, why were they called 
" whited sepulchres " . . . 798 

Pharisees, who were they . . . 806 

Pharisees, why said to devour widows' 
houses 820 

Pharisees, wKo were the children 
of 856 

Pharisees and Scribes, why did they 
put diflicult questions to our Lord 907 

Pharisee and Publican, object of the 
parable _ . 938 

Pharisee, why blam.ed for praising 
himself 939 

Philadelphia, the angel of the church 
ofj addressed 1440 

Philemon, epistle to, why written . 1389 

Philip, St .600 

Philippi, causes of the persecutions 
at 1267 

Philippi, why did the magistrates 
entreat the apostles to depart there- 
from ...... 1269 

Phihppians, the epislle to, why 
written 1354 



Pilate, why did he deliver Jesus to be 

scourged 1053 

Pilate, why did he condemn Jesus to 

death 1060 

Pilate, why did he refuse to alter the 

title over the cross .... 1084 
Pilate, his fate and end . . . 1121 
Pontius Pilate, who was he . . 1039 
Potters' field, why purchased . , 1050 
Prayer, the Lord's, why given . . 871 
Priests, choosing and anointing of . 186 
Priests, mitres of ... . 190 
Priests, why did they covenant with 

Judas to betray Jesus . . . 1035 
Priest, vestments of the high . . 185 
Prisons, at the era of the apostles, 

nature of 1276 

Prophet, the disobedient, why slain 

by a lion -389 

Prophets, accounts of . . . 517 
Prophets, the later, note on their 

period 54S 

Prophecy, gifts of, why no proof of 

the sanctity of their possessors . 841 
Prophecy, the gift of . . . . 990 
Prophesying, New Testament appli- 
cation of the term .... 1336 
Proselyte-making by the Jews, why 

objected to by our Lord . . 816 

Proselytes, why numerously present 

at the Feast of Pentecost . .1176 
Proverbs, book of, why so named . 471 
Proverbs, book of, why is its exist- 
ence a strong evidence of the truth 
of revelation generally . . . 473 
Proverbs, book of, ancient and 

oriental in its character . . . 474 
Psalms, book of, vs hy written . . 465 
Psalms, authorship of, why ascribed 

to David 467 

Psalms, Hebrew title for . . . 468 
Psalms, why are some of them in- 
scribed " of Asaph," *' of Heman," 

etc 469 

Psalms, question of their author- 
ship 473 

Psalter, derivation of the word . . 466 
Ptolomeus Soter, king of Jerusalem, 

account of 543 

Publicans, why such objects of dishlce 

to the Jews 810 

Publicans, duties of, among the Jews 811 
Pugillanes, or writing tables, used by 

the Komans 627 

Purim, feast of, why instituted . . 459 
Kahab, why did she harbour the spies 

sent by Joshua .... 236 
Eabbi, meaning of the word . . 808 
Eebekah, why chosen as the wife of 

Isaac 106 

Eeeeipt of Customs, nature of the 

place so called 772 

Red Sea, why divided . . . 162 
Rehoboam, why did the Israelites re- 
volt from him 382 

Rehoboam, why did he not endeavour 
to regain the allegiance of the re- 
volted tribes 384 

Respite to the sinners before the 
flood, why gi'anted . . , .70 



Eesurrection, why did it occur on the 

first day of the week . . . 1127 
Revelation, note on the . (page) 315 
Revelation, book of, why written . HIT 
Sevelation, book of, why prolific of 

interpretations .... 1419 
Rhenrish Testament, why so called . 21 
Riddles, partiahty to, in "the East . 263 
Roman general, representation of, 

(page) 120 
Roman legionary, cut of . . . 292 
Roman power, what was the origiu of 

it 553 

Roman empire, number of its subjects 

at the birth of Christ . . . 555 
Roman government, nature of . . 557 
Roman emjsire, what was its religion 

at the birth of our Lord . . . 559 
Roman law respecting punishments . 1057 
Roman games, allusions to, by St. 

Pa-ol 133S 

Roman military dresses and accoutre- 
ments, why ahuded to by St. Paul 1344 
Romau standard (heathen) . . 549 
Roman standard (Chrisiian) (page) 282 

Roman shield 1345 

Roman sandal .... i345 

Roman hebnet 1345 

Roman swords ... . 1346 

Romans, epistle to, why placed first 

among the canonical epistles . . 1324 
Romans, epistle to, whenwritten . 1326 
Rome, boundaries of the empire, 

when the Chi'istian era commenced ooS 
Romulus and Remus, founders of 
Rome ...... 554 

Rubric, origin of the word . . 625 
Ruth, book of, why so called . . 272 
Ruth, book of, who was its author . 275 
Ruth, book of, history contained 

therein 276 

Ruth, book of, why placed so promi- 
nently in the Bible , . . .274 
Sabbatical year what was the object 

of it . ' 250 

Sabbath-day, why did Jesus heal dis- 
eases upon it . . . . 850 
Sabbath, why changed from the last 

to the first day of the week . . 1293 
Sackcloth, wearing of, its meaning . 490 
Sacrament, derivation of the term . 1019 
Sacraments, number of . . 1019 
Sacrament, Protestant definition of . 1019 
Sacrament, Roman Cathohc defini- 
tion of 1019 

Sadducees, why generally opposed to 

the preaching of the Gospel . . 804 
Sadducees, who were they , . . 805 
Saint, the word to whom applied in 

the Bible 296 

Saluting, methods of . , . . 418 
Samaritan, the good, purpose of the 

parable 923 

Samson, why raised up as a judge . 253 
Samson, why was his hair allowed to 

grow 259 

Samson, why did he marry a Phihs- 

tine woman . . . " . . 260 
Samson, why did he propose a riddle 
to the Philistines . . 262 



Samson, why did he set fire to the 

Philist'nes' corn .... 264 
Samson, why dehvered into the hands 

of the Philistines . . . .266 
Samson slays a thousand Philistines . 267 
Samson, why did he carry away the 

gates of Gaza 263 

Samson, what was his particular mis- 
sion 271 

Samuel, books of, why so called . 277 
Samuel, books of, contents of . . 27S 
Samuel, why called of &•. d . . 279 
Samuel, meaning of the word . . 280 
Samuel, entrusted with the Divine 

message 282 

Samuel, why displeased at the request 

of the people for a king , . . 289 
Samuel, \vhy did he mourn for Saul . 299 
Samuel, why did he proceed secretly 

to Bethlehem to anoint David . 300 
Samuel, why did the witch of Endor 

cry out wiien she saw him . . 319 
Sanhedrun, council of, what was it 796 
Sarai, why did she expel Hagar from 

her house 95 

Sarai, meaning of the name . . . 99 
Sardis, the angel of the church of, 

addressed 1438 

Sardis, account of . . . . 1439 
Sdtan, why he is called the prince of 

the power of the air . . . 1454 
Saul, why selected as the first king of 

Israel 291 

Saul, character of . . . .292 
Saul, what was his fii-st transgression 293 
Said, what was his second trans- 
gression 297 

Saul, why was an evil spirit from the 

Lord said to have troubled him . 301 
Saul, why was his jealousy fixst ex- 
cited against Diivid .... 305 
Saul, why did he consult the witch of 

Endor . . . _ ._ . .318 
Saul, why did he commit suicide . 321 
Saul, why was his body and those of 

his sons burnt .... 322 

Saul, race of, why were seven men of 
them put to death by the Gibeon- 

ites . 348 

Scapegoat, why sent into the wilder- 
ness 193 

Sceva, why did his seven sons attempt 
to cast out devils in the name of 

Jesus 1237 

Sci'ibes, who were they . . . 800 
Scribes, why were they in general re- 
buked by our Lord . . . .802 
Scriptures, why the name is applied 

to the Old and ]S"ew Testaments . 4 
Scriptm-es, when did the term come 

into general use .... 5 
Scriptures, where preserved . . 12 
Scriptures, Latin version of, first 

printed . . . . _ . .17 
Scriptures, authorised version of, 

persons engaged upon it, re^isal of 18 
Scriptui-es, authorised version of, 

why so called 18 

Scriptures, why dirided into the 
•' Old" and "IsTew" Testament , 8 



XXll 



Scriptures, why an authorized rer- 

sion made . . . , . 19 
Scriptures, why have so many com- 
mentaries upon then? been consi- 
dered necessary .... 623 
Seals, meaning of " the scYen" . l-M-G 

Septuagint, meaning of ... 3 
Septuagint, why so named . , 14 

Septuagint, why compiled , . 15 

Sepulchre, why a new one was pro- 
per for the reception of the body of 

Christ 1117 

Sepulchre, why a guard was set 

around it 1119 

Sermon, our Saviour's first, at Naza- 
reth 759 

Serpent, why was the brazen set up . 22D 
Seventh day, why is God said to have 

rested on this day .... 35 
Seven churches, the, why their heads 

or bis'iops were called angels . 1423 
Shadracli, Meshach, and Abednego, 

why thrown into a fiery furnace . 501 
Sheba, why did the queen of, visit 

Kin r Solomon .... 375 

Sheep, why the people or congrega- 
tion are so designated . . . 843 
Shem, genealogy of, why interesting 80 
S-hewbread, why were tables for, set 
up in the tabernacle and after- 
wards in the temple . . . 204 
Silver, the thirty pieces of . . 1050 
Simreon, what was the occasion of the 

sonpof . . . . _. ^ . 6S8 
Simeon, why described as waiting for 

the " consolation of Israel" . 700 

Sinaon, surnamed Zelotes, his history 609 
Simon, St., representation of . . 615 
Sinai, Mount, why were the laws pro- 
mulgated from . . , . 171 
Smyrna, tiie angel of the church of, 

addressed 431 

Solomon, why commanded by David 

to punish joab and Shimei . . SQ') 
Solomon, why did he banish Abiathar 363 
Solomon, how did he become cele- 
brated for wisdom .... 364 
Solomon, judgment of . . . 367 
Solomon , why did he build the temple 368 
Solomon's temple, description of . 369 
Solomon's temple, howlonginbuilding 374 
Solomon, why did he marry the 

daughter of Pharaoh . . . 370 
Solomon, why did he write a letter to 

Hiram, king of Tyre . . .373 
Solomon, why visited by the queen of 

Sheba 375 

Solomon, why did the Divine blessing 

depart from him .... 377 
Solomon, why is it to be behevedthat 

he died repentant . . . . 331 
Solomon, Song of, nature of the book 

so entitled 477 

Spirits, why did the evil enter the 

swine 852 

Spirits, why were evil, forbidden to 

testify 854 

Stephen, St , why put to death . 12J5 

Stone, the white, symbolical mean- 
ing of .... (page) 316 



Stoning to death . . . 215, 9U3 

Supper, why was an upper room se- 
lected for the last .... 1006 
Susanna, history of . . (HI) 549 
Swearing, common practice among 

the Orientals 774 

Swine, cause of Hebrew aversion to 203 
Synagogue, why so called . . . 429 
Synagogue worship,nature of, among 

the Jews ._ . . . .430 

Tabernacle, Jevdsh, why a general 

acquaintance with it is desirable . 183 
Tabernacle of the wilderness, descrip- 
tion of . . . . _ . .184 
Tabernacle, why was one tribe set 

apart for the use of . . . 200 
Tabernacles, feast of, why instituted 203 
Talent, value represented by . . 94i 
Talents, the ten thousand . . . 945 
TaUith, meaning of . . . . 431 
Temple, veneration of the Jews for 
• it, instances thereof . . . 813 
Temple, the second .... 433 
Tertullian, account of . . . 14S4 
Tertullianists, sect so called . . 1485 
Testament, Old, in what language 

first written 3 

Testament, Old, when first translated 3 
Testament, Old, number of the books 

therein contained .... 9 
Testament, Old, why some of the 

books are called " canonical ' - 10 

Testament, Old, why some are termed 

" apocryphal " .... 10 
Testament, Old, by what means have 

they been handed down to us . 13 

Testament, Old, date of the copies of 

the original Hebrew text . . 13 
Testament, Old, Septuagint version 

of, why so named . . . .14 
Testament, Old, translation of . . 15 
Testament, Old, interpreters of . 15 

Testament, Old, copy of sent to 

Ptolemy Philadelphiis ... 15 
Testaments, Old and New, division 

into chapters when first made . 24 
Testament, New, number of the books 

therein contained ... 9 

Testament, New, writers, why is the 

prefix saint used in rrgard to them 573 
Testament, Ne w,writings, how handed 

down to us 617 

Testament, New, MSS., what mate- 
rial were they generally written 

upon 621 

Thessalonians, the epistles to, why 

written 1362 

Thomas, St , account of . . . 605 
Thomas, why was he incredulous of 

the resurrection of our Lord . . 1148 
Thyatira, account of . . . . li;37 
Thyatira, the angel of the church of, 

addressed 1436 

Time, idea of, wh n commenced . 30 
Timothy, why did he submit to cir- 
cumcision . . . . . 1201 
Timothy, account of . . . 1374 

Timothy, the epistle to, why written . 1376 
Timothy, martyrdom of . . . 1378 
Titiis, acco.-.nt of ... . 1335 



Titus, ppistle to, vfhy written . 
Tobit, history of . . . (I.) 

Tombs of the prophets, ■why the Jews 

were bh^med for building them 
Tongues of men, why confounded 
Towers in vineyards, why built . 
Transfiguration, the . 
Trinity, the holy, why is the triangle 

used as an emblem of 
Tree of life, wh^ planted in the garden 

of Eden . " . 
Tree of life, why so called 
Tyehicus, account of . 
Tashti, why did she refuse to appear 

before Ahasuerus . 
Yashti, why deposed by the ting 
Vinegar offered to Chi'ist upon the 

cross, why refused by hiin 
Volumen, or MS. roll, representa 

tion of 

Tulgate, why compiled 
Yulgate, why remarkable . . 
Vul-ate, ^\hy so called . . 



13S7 
549 

S18 

78 

951 

973 

610 

40 

41 

1295 

410 
441 

1094 

622 
16 
17 
16 



5X. XXUl 

Wave-ofFerings, what were the . 206 

IVeddings, Oriental customs at . 955 

Wedding garments .... 954 
Widow the importunate, the parable 

of 947 

Wine, why was new not to be put 

into old bottles .... 7S5 

WycliQ'e's Tersionof the Bible (page) 5 

Zaceheus, episode of, why related . 940 

Zaceheus, who was he . . . 941 
Zaeharias, the priest, why struck 

dumb 643 

Zaeharias, why was it his lot to burn 

incense when he went into the 

temple 644 

Zacharia'5, why was his son to be 

called John . . ... 613 
Zarephath, widow of, why did Elijah 

dwell with her .... 393 
Zechariah's prophecy, what was the 

object of it 545 

Zephaniah, account of . . . 541 

Zepbaniah, signification of the name 54i2 



Origin of the Biblical Books. 



THE 

BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

CHAPTER L 

OF THE OBIGIN" AND CHARACTEEISTICS OF THE BIBLE AND ITS 
VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS. 

1. TFJit/ is t/te J3ihle the most venerable as toell as the most 
interesting of hooks ? 

Because of its divinely-inspired autkorsliip, and because it 
is a record of those dealings of God with His creatures which it 
concerns every human being to be well acquainted with. It is 
the revealed will of God, making known His love, law, and 
judgments. 

2. WJiy is the Bible so named ? 

From JBihlia, a Greek word signifying "the books," or " the 
small books ;" or from JBiblos, " the book," it being the book 
by way of pre-eminence ; containing the revelations made from 
God to man, the principles of the Christian faith, and its rules 
of practice. 

3. Tlie word Bible occurs m the preface to Ecclesiasticus, and in 2 Timothy 
iv. 13, of the Septuagint version. Before the adoption of this name, the more usual 
terms in the Christian Church by which the sacred books were denominated were, 
•'the Scripture," "the Scriptures," and "the Sacred Letters." 

The Bible consists of two parts— the Old and the New Testaments. The former 
was written in Hebrew, with the exception of the books of Ezra, Nehcniiah, and 
Daniel, which are in Chaldaic ; the latter in Greek. The Old Testament was trans- 
atediiito Greek at Alexandria, and in the monarchy of Ptolemy Philadelphus (b.c. 
£77. This version was called the Septuaqinf. 

2 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Meaning of their Titles. 

The whole Bible was rendered into the Saxon tongue about the year a.d. 940. 
Various later translations were made during the Tudor period. The authorized 
version was commenced in the reign of James I. (a.d. 1604). 

4. Why is the term " Holy Sceiptuees" ap;plied to the Old 
and Neil) Testaments ? 

Because, as tlie word Bible signifies " the book," or " book of 
books," tlie word Scripture, cr writing, in this instance implies 
that these are " the writings of all writings." 

5. The word Scripture is applied in 2 Peter i. 20, in Matthew xxii. 29, Actsviii, 
24, and the prefix Holy in 2 Timothy iii. 15, to all the sacred writings then collected. 
About A.D. 180, the term " Holy Scriptures" was used to include the Gospels. 
From the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century, at which time a collec- 
tion of the New Testament writings was generally received, the term came into 
constant use, and was so api)lied as to include aU the books contained in the version 
of the Septuagint, as well as those of the Hebrew canon. 

6. What is the meaning of the term ^^ insj)ired," as ajpjplied 
to the sacred writings ? 

It implies that the authors of the Biblical books were in- 
formed, either mediately or immediately, by the Spirit of God, 
of such matters as it was necessary they should write ; or, in 
the apostolic words (2 Peter i. 21), " Holy men of God spake as 
they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 

7. The definition of the word inspiration given by Dr. Knapp is as follows:— 
'• It may be best defined, according to the representations of the Scriptures them- 
selves, as an extraordinary Divine agency upon teachers wliile giving instruction, 
whether oral or written, by which they were taught what and how they should write 
and speak." 

A strong proof that the Scriptures have been divinely inspired is found in the 
declaration to that effect by the writers themselves. That these writers were dele- 
gated by Divine Providence to a supernatural work, is shown by the thousands of 
miracles performed by them. The truth of these miracles is beyond doubt. All 
the ingenuity of sceptics has failed to shake the evidence upon which their authen- 
ticity rests. 

8. WJiy are the Scriptures divided into the Old and New 
Testaments ? 

In order to mark a distinction between the books held 
aracred by both Jews and Christians, and those received only 
by Christians. 

9. The Old Testament consists of thirty-nine books termed " canonical," and 
fourteen " apocryphal." The New Testament contains twenty-seven books ; viz.. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Their Transmission to us. 

five historical, twenty-one hortatory, and one, the last, of a mixed hortatory 
and prophetical character. 

10. Wliy are some of the hoohs of tJie Old Testament called 
^' canonical," while others are termedj ^'apocryphal"'? 

Because about the genuineness of the former there has never 
been any doubt in the universal Church ; with regard to the 
latter, the word applied collectively to them signifies that the 
evidence about them is not so clear. The estimation in which 
the Church of England holds the books of the Old and New 
Testament, and those of the Apocrypha, may be gathered from 
her sixth Article. 



11. The word Canon, from the Greek Tcanon, means straigM, or a straight rttle. 
As applied to the present subject, it means the authoritative standard of religion 
and morals. Apocrypha signifies secret, hidden. The Church of England recom- 
mends the perusal of the latter as beneficial to faith and morals, although it doubts 
their full authority in determining questions of doctrine. 

12. Sy what means have the Scriptures of the Old Testament 
been handed doion to us from the remote period of antiquity at 
which they tvere tvritten ? 

The same Providence tliat directed their execution would, 
of course, watch over their 
transmission to us. It is 
probable that, as well as the 
law, the other sacred boolis 
were preserved in, or by, the 
ark of the covenant; and 
Josephus informs us that the 
law was among the spoils 
■which graced the triumph of 
the Emperor Titus when lie 
returned from the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem. : 

13. Copies of the original Hebrew 
text have descended to our times in 
manuscripts written upon skins of 
animals, and dating from the 12th paptbus, the eaeliest knowx mat£KIAL 
century. used tor portable writihg^--. 




THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Greek and. Latin Versions. 

14. Wliy was the SepUiagint version of the Old Testament 
so 7iamed? 

Because it was said to have been the work of seventy- 
translators. 

15. The tradition which was received by all the early fathers and by the rabbins 
was to this effect : — Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, when forming a library 
at great expense, was advised by Demetrius Phalereus to apply to the Jewish high 
priest, Eleazar, for a copy of the book containing the Je\vish laws. Having been a 
great friend and benefactor of the Jews, he had no difficulty in obtaining this. He 
then requested Eleazar to send him learned scribes, for the purpose of translating 
the books into Greek. Seventy-two interpreters were selected, and sent, six out of 
each tribe of Israel. Having been despatched accordingly with a magnificent copy 
of the law, they were received and entertained by the king for several days witli 
great respect and liberality. Demetrius led them to an island, where they lodged 
together. The translation was finished in seventy-two days, having been written 
down by Demetrius, piece by piece, as agreed upon after mutual consultation. It 
was then publicly read by Demetrius to a number of Jews, whom he had summoned 
together. They approved of it, and imprecations were uttered against any one who 
should presume to alter it. The Jews requested to take copies of it for their use, 
and it was carefully preserved by command of the king. The interpreters were 
then sent home loaded with presents. 

16. What is the meaning of the word Vulgate? 

It is derived from the Latin word vulgata, " common," and 
is applied to the Latin version of the Scriptures made by 
St. Jerome, betweijn the years 382 and 405 of our era, because 
it was intended i^^c the common use of Christians throughout 
the world. 

17. The olden Latin versions, which were very numerous, and some of them 
very imperfect, were supr rseded by this of St. Jerome. A version used authorita- 
tively before is called thf Old Vulgate. About two hundred years after the death 
of its author, the Vulgate became almost universally admitted, although it received 
no official sanction until the Council of Trent. This Latin version is remarkable, 
also, as being the first booic ever printed. The earliest printed editions are without 
date; the earliest dated etitions bear that of 1462. 

18. Wliy is the '' authorized" version of the Scriptures so 
called ? 

Because translated from the original tongues, and appointed 
to be read in church es, by special command or authorization of 
King James I., a.d. 1611. 

19. This work originAted with Dr. John llainolds, of Corpus Christi College, 
Oxford. Forty-seven jieisons were engaged upon it. They met in companies at 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY, 



First English Printed Bibles. 



different places, having their respective tasks assigned them. The whole was 
revised by twelve men together, two having been chosen out of each of the six 
companies. The ultimate revision was made by Dr. Miles Smith and Dr. Bilson. 
The whole expense was defrayed by Bai'ker, who had a patent for its publication. 



EI^GLISH PRINTED BIBLES. 

Previously to the publication of the " authorized version," there had been-» 

I. WYCLIFPE'S YEKSIOI^. 

John Wycliffe was born at a village near Eichmond, in Yorkshire, about the year 
1324. In 1360 his name is first mentioned in connection with some controversies 
with the friars or regular clergy of that period. He graduated at Queen's College, 
Oxford ; from thence he removed to Merton CoUege. He assumed great austerity 
of life and demeanour, and held in his public sermons that the Pope, the higher 
clergy, and the priests were bound to imitate our Saviour in poverty as well as in 
virtue. He estabhshed an order called " poor priests," who were clad like himself, 
refused to accept of any benefice, and itinerated with the permission or against the 
orders of the bishops. "VVychffe was protected by the Duke of Lancaster 
ultimately accepted a benefice, and died while assisting at the mass offered by his 
curate on Innocent's Day, 1384. The author, although a man of zeal and of 
moderate learning, was ignorant of the Hebrew and Greek languages; conse- 
quently his Bible was only a rendering from the Latin Vulgate. There are indica- 
tions in it of his having received the assistance of other hands. 

II. TYND ALE'S TEANSLATIOI^. 

William Tyndale was born about 1477 at Hunt's Court, in the parish of Nibley, 
in Gloucestershire. He was sent to Oxford, whence he removed to Cambridge. 
Leaving that university he became tutor to Sir John Welch, of Little Sodbury, in 
his native county. He appears to have awakened fears among his friends on 
account of his advanced opinions in religious matters ; and he fled first to London 
and thence to Saxony, where he is said to have met Luther, He next settled at 
Antwerp, where he executed his translation. He was strangled at the Castle of 
ViUefort, near Brussels, at the instance of Henry VIII. The language of Tyndale's 
version, which is from the original tongues, is pure, appropriate, and perspicuous. 
It is an astonishing monument of the indomitable zeal, learning, and per:reverence 
of its author, 

III. CO VERD ALE'S VERSION. 

Miles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter (a.d. 1551), was a native of Yorkshire, and 
born in 1487. He was educated in tte house of the Augustinian Friars in Cam- 
bridge, under Prior Barnes. He became a monk, and in 1514 was ordained a prie-st 
at i^orwich. About 1531 Coverdale showed himself a Protestant by his conversation 
and sermons. He went abroad about this time, and probably assisted Tyndale in 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



English Printed Bibles. 



his translation. In 1535 his own version appeared, with a dedication to Henry 
VIII. The psalms in it are those now used in the Book of Common Prayer. 
Coverdale was almoner to Queen Catherine Parr. On the accession of Mary, 
Coverdale was imprisoned, but afterwards released by her, and he went into exile to 
the Court of Denmark. He afterwards went to Geneva, where he assisted in pre- 
paring the "Geneva translation." Coverdale returned from exile, but having 
imbibed the views of the Calvinists at Geneva, he was not allowed by his co-protest- 
ants at home to resume his bishopric. At his death he was rector of Saint Magnus, 
near London Bridge. 

This version is reckoned inferior to Tyndale's Bible. Its author was not skilful 
'n the original languages of the Scriptures, and translated from the German and 
Latin. Cromwell, Henry YIII.'s minister, was the chief instrument in introducing 
this version. 

IV. MATTHEW'S BIBLE 

Is another and revised edition of Tyndale's. Its first edition was- produced in 1537 ; 
another edition was published in 1539. 



V. TAVEENEE'S BIBLE. 

Eichard Taverner, the editor of this work, was a learned layman. His Bible 
was published in London, 1539, folio. Two other editions were published in quarto. 
It is not a new version, but a correction of Matthew's. 



VI. CEANMEE'S BIBLE. 

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, is too well known to need any 
further notice. The first great Bible, with a prologue by him, was published in 1540, 
folio, Tkree subsequent editions hud this prelate's nam'e affixed to the title-page. 



VII. GENEVA BIBLE 

Was the work of William Wittingham and some other Nonconformists. It appears 
to have been begun in 1558, and completed in 1560. This was the first English 
Bible printed with the Eoman letter j previous editions had been in the Gothic or 
"black-letter." 

VIII. PAEKEE'S, OE THE BISHOP'S BIBLE. 

Archbishop Parker was a native of Norwich : he was born in 1504, and edu- 
cated at Cambridge. Being intended for the Church he applied himself diligently 
to Biblical learning. He was selected by Wolsey as one of the professors of the new 
college which he intended to found at Oxford. Parker, however, declined the 
honour : he was preferred under Henry VIII. and Edward VI., but deprived by 
Mary. By Elizabeth he was made Archbishop of Canterbury. During the fifteen 
years that he held the primacy he promoted the Ecformation to the best of his 
ability. He died in 1575. Parker's Bible was published in 1568, at London, in one 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



English Printed Bibles. 

folio Tolume : it was superintended by the Archbishop, the text being carefully 
revised after the originals by fifteen scholars, eight of whom were bishops. Diffe- 
rent portions were assigned to diiferent individuals, the initials of whose names are 
placed at the end of their several parts. It Avas not, as is generally supposed, 
undertaken at the royal command. The text of this translation is considered much 
better than that of any preceding one. 

20. Why are certain tvords in the autJiorized version of 
the English Bihle printed in italics ? 

To skow tliat those particular words have been inserted or 
interpolated to elucidate or improve the sense, and were not in 
the original text, whether Hebrew, Chaldaic, or Greek. 

21. Why is the Moman Catholic version of the Holy 
Scriptures called the " Douay Bihle,"" and the *' Rhemish 
Testament" ? 

Because the former — a translation from the Latin Yulgate — 
was first published by the English college at Douay, in Belgium 
(a.d. 1609), and the latter, also from the Latin Vulgate, was first 
made and issued from another English college at Hheims 
(A.D. 1582). 

22. These are the only versions used liy the Catholic laity: they are very 
literal in their rendering, but not so elegant as the authorized version in use among 
Protestants. The Douay Bible and Khemish Testament are accompanied by anno- 
tations of a very brief character. 

23. Why is the marlc ^, or paragraph, tcsed at certain dis- 
tances in the authorized version of the English JBihle ? 

To denote that at that point of the psalm, chapter, or dis- 
course, a new subject has commenced. 

24. This division into paragraphs was adopted for convenience sake by the 
translators of this version, who were also the authors of the headings to the 
chapters. The division into chapters of the Old and New Testaments assumed its 
present form about the middle of the 13th century, and is ascribed by some to 
Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury. It is hardly necessary to state that 
the prefaces or contents do not in any way partake of the sacred authoritative 
character of the text. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



B.C. 4004.— The Five Books of Moses. 

CHAPTER II. 

OF THE PENTATEUCH, OE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES. 

25. Why are the first five hooJcs of the Bihlical collection 
called the Pentateuch ? 

From the two Greek words, joentey " five," and teuchos, " a 
volume," i.e., "the five-fold volume," or "instrument." 

26. An universal and most ancient tradition declares the Pentateuch to be the 
work of Moses, the first Divine lawgiver. Any attacks upon their authenticity- 
have been met by the best and most soKd answers ; and when it is considered that 
the whole weight of evidence furnished by the existence, the history, and the 
institutions of the Jewish people rests upon their truth, nothing further in the way 
of proof appears necessary. 

" The books of Moses, no monument, either historical or astronomical, has 
yet been able to prove false ; but with them, on the contrary, agree, in the most 
remarkable manner, the results obtained by the most learned philosophers and 
the profoundest geometricians." * 

27. Why is the first hook of Moses called Genesis ? 
Because that word, with which it commences, signifies 

"creation," "origin," "first;" implying that this portion of the 
sacred writings contains an account of the origin or creation 
of the world and its inhabitants. 

28. It was customary with the Hebrews to designate any portions of their 
sacred literature by the first word contained in them. The commencing word of 
Genesis in the Hebrew is Beeeshith " in the beginning." In the Hebrew Bible, 
the first book of Moses has no title. Its present one was prefixed to it by those 
who translated it into Greek. 

Genesis contains, besides the account of the creation and apostasy of man, a 
history of the deluge and of the first patriarchs, to the death of Joseph. 

29. Why does the Bible commence with, these words, " In the 
he ginning" ? 

Because, although the formation out of nothing of this 
earth, with its inhabitants, may not have been the first creative 
act of the Deity, it was so as far as man is concerned. The 
idea of Time commences only at this point. 

30. The original cause of all things must be God, who in a moment spoke, and 
heaven and earth were made ; heaven with all the angels, and the whole mass of 

* Balbi, Atlas Eihnoprapliique du Glohe. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON "WHY. 



B.C. 4004.— The Creation. 



the elements, in a state of confusion and blended together, out of •which the 
beautiful order, which was afterwards so admirable, arose in the space of six 
days. 

31. Why was the earth said to he created in six days ? 
It is generally admitted that the term "day" here has a 

figurative meaning ; and the phrase " six days" may be under- 
stood to indicate the order and progress of creation, rather than 
the time it occupied. 

32. Because we learn from various parts of the sacred writings, as weU as from 
analogy, that time was not a necessary ingredient in the work of creation. " He 
spake, and they were made; He commanded, and they were brought forth;" and 
similar phrases, express the fact that, with the act of will on the part of the Creator, 
His works at once started into being. Indeed, strictly speaking, the very notion of 
growth or progression seems repugnant to that of creation. 

33. Why teas man said to he created in the image and 
likeness of God? 

Because he is endued with the power of understanding and 
choice, which the lower creation have not. 

34. This image is rather to be found in the soul than the body of man, although, 
from Christ's assuming human nature, we may assert that man bears a resemblance 
to God both in soul and body. 

35. Why is God said to have rested the seventh day? 
Because He then ceased to make any new kind of things. 

36. St. Paul says that what happened beforehand happened by way of figure ; 
and the particidar mention here made of the seventh day as one of rest, and of its 
sanctification, was no doubt intended to foreshow the institution of a sabbatical or 
weekly rest from labour. (See Exod. xx. 8.) 

37. Wh^ was the Garden of Eden or Paradise formed ? 
In order that man, as the chief tenant, or rather as the lord 

of the newly-formed world, might be provided with a dwelling 
suitable to his wants, and replete ^^itll every charm and con- 
venience. 

38. Why was the Garden of Eden so called ? 
From the Hebrew word signifying pleasure. 

39. It is not decided whether this is the name of a particular spot or of a tract of 
country. A difficulty of ascertaining its whereabouts would necessarily result from 

2* 



10 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

B.C. 400-i. — Adam and Eve Formed. 

the general disruption of the earth's surface at the universal flood; so that our not 
finding its site at present is in no way remarkable. 

40. Why were the trees ^^ of life" and " of the Tcnoivledge of 
good and evil " ^planted in the midst of Eden ? 

Because, being invested with, the power and dignity of free 
will, God wished to give Adam the means of testing his obedi- 
ence to the Divine behests. 

41. Hence the one only precept given to man in Paradise : '• Of every tree of 
the garden thou mayest freely eat ; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and 
evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt 
surely die." 

The tree of life was so called because it had that quaUty, that by eating of the 
fruit of it, man would have been preserved in a constant state of health, vigour, 
and strength, and would not have died at all. 

The tree of knowledge could not communicate any real wisdom to man ; but, 
by eating of its forbidden fruit, he dearly purchased the knowledge of evil, to 
which before he was a stranger. 

42. Why ivas the first man named Adam ? 

!From Adamah, a Hebrew word signifying red earth, or 
dust from the ground. 

43. Under the simple archaic phrase, "dust from the ground," is fairly to 
be understood a truth which is verified by the analysis of modern chemistry. 
The human body, submitted to this test, proves to be a combination of carbon, 
hydrogen, lime, and, in fact, of aU those materials of which the dust of the earth 
itself is composed. 

44. Why did God set Adam to name the animals? 

That he might, by an attentive survey of the low-er creation, 
experience their utter inadequacy to his wants as companions or 
associates, and thus be led to desire the intended gift of Eve as 
*' a help meet for him." 

45. Why is the formation of Eve out of a rih of Adam to he 
taken literally ? 

Because such an interpretation is the most reasonable and 
consistent. Adam having been formed immediately from the 
dust of the earth, Eve -was taken mediately from the same 
pource, by being formed from the substance of her husband. 

46. Why did our first parents eat of the forbidden fruit ? 
The lamentable answer to this portentous question is only to 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



11 



B.C. 4004.-1116 Fall of Man. 




be found in the fact, that preferring the gratification of their 
curiosity and appetite, to the observance of the Divine prohibi- 
tion, they chose of their own free will to do so. 

47. What is the meaning of 
the phrase, ^'and the eyes of both 
were ojpencd, and they knew that 
they were trahed,'^ etc. ? 

It means that they became 
conscious of offence, or of a 
breach of the Divine command- 
ment, and from that conscious- 
ness sought to conceal them- 
selves. 

48. The text says, "they sewed 
together fig-leaves, and made themselves 
aprons." But the word translated sewed, 
rather implies twisted ; and the fact pro- 
bably was, that our first parents took the 
tender branches of the fig (teenah) tree 
and twined them together much in the way 
that the aborigines of some countries do 
at the present time. 

49. What folloived the eating of the forbidden fruit 1 

A curse was pronounced upon Adam and his posterity, upon 
the earth for his sake, and in particular upon the serpent, which 
had been the instrument used by Satan in the temptation of 
man. Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden of 
Paradise, and doomed to wander upon the earth, and to earn 
their bread by the sweat of their brow. 

50. What promise was made to our first parents after 
their expulsion from the Garden of Eden ? 

It was promised that a future deliverer should be raised up — 
the Messiah — called the seed of the woman, who should 
*' bruise the head of the serpent," while the latter should have 
power to " bruise his heel." 

51. Why is the term "seed of the looman' applied to Christ? 
Because, as regarded His human nature, He was the offspring 



iriG-LEAVJty. (Gen. iii. 7.) 



12 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY, 



B.C. 4003.— Cain and Abel. 



of a woman only, and not of any man — the mother of Jesus 
having been a pure virgin notwithstanding her maternity. 

52. Why is the Messiah, or Christ, said to crush tlie head 
of the serpent {or Satan) ? 

Because by the head is symbolized power, rule, or dominion ; 
the work of our Saviour was to diminish and ultimately destroy 
this power, and so crush the head of the serpent. 

53. Why is Christ's heel said to he bruised hy Satan ? 
Because, as the heel is the lowest part of the body, it 

represents the human nature of Jesus, which his eternal Father 
permitted to be bruised in the sufferings and death he 
underwent upon the cross. 

54. Why did Cain, the first-horn of Adam and Eve, hill his 
brother Abel? 

From a motive of envy or jealousy of his brother's accept- 
ance with God. 

55. It is probable tbat the Divine favour was exhibited towards Abel by some 
manifest sign, as by sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. There can 
be no doubt that this was the result of Abel's merit, as he is by Jesus Christ himself 
denominated " the righteous " (Matt, xxiii. 35) . The sacrifices of the brothers appear 
to have been equal in all other respects. Cain, as a husbandman, brought of the 
first-fruits of the field; Abel, as a shepherd, offered the firsthngs of his flock. The 
important difference was in the dispositions with which the sacrifices were offered. 

56. Why IV as a marh set iijpon Cain ] 

The text says, "Lest any man finding him should kill him ;" 
from which we may infer that the act of murder committed 
against his brother, must have stamped such an indelible 
impression of horror or aversion upon Cain as might induce 
his fellow -men, upon meeting him, to seek his death. 

57. What this preventive mark was, is not said. The reader is left to form 
his own conjecture. 

Cain is said, after the birth of Enoch, to have built a city. The descendants of 
Adam were then already numerous enough to require the use of one. Erom which 
it is clear that a great many transactions took place about this period which are not 
racorded in the sacred volume. This leads at once to the observation that the 
Bible is not a history of the world. It gives an account of the origin of the world, 
ftnd of the creation and fall of man ; after this it CQufioea its records to those of ooe 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 13 

B.C. 3S75.— The Term of Human Life Shortened. 

family or nation only, namely, the seed of Abraham, in whom all the tribes of the 
earth should be blessed. 

This is made clear by the contents of the fifth chapter of Genesis, which is a 
genealogy of the patriarchs from Adam to Noah. The fourth verse says — "And the 
days of Adam, after he begot Seth, were eight hundred years ; and he begat sons 
and daughters." Yet nothing is recorded of these, not even their names. 

58. Wh^ did the first 'patriarchs attain such extreme 
longevity ? 

Because it was of the first necessity that the world should 
be filled and replenished by their off'sprinj^; and by such a 
length of days the Divine traditions were enabled to be the 
better handed down to their descendants. 

59. Why was Enoch translated ? 

Because of his distinguished sanctity, the term used in the 
text, " vralked with God," implying that he lived in continued 
recollection of, or meditation on, the presence of God. 

60. The phrase, "he was not, for God took him," might be supposed to mean 
merely that he was removed prematurely from the earth by a sudden death ; but 
St. Paul (Heb. xi. 5) says distinctly that Enoch was translated that he should not 
see death. 

61. Why teas the tey^ni of human life noio sJiortened ? 
Because of the degeneracy of the human race, the majority 

of whom had departed from the primitiv^e faith and worship. 

62. Why is God said to have repented that He had made 
man ? 

God, who is unchangeable, is not capable of repentance, 
grief, or other passion. But these expressions are used to 
declare the enormity of the sins of men, which was so provoking 
as to determine their Creator to destroy these His creatures, 
whom before He had so much favoured. 

63. Why tvas Noah commanded to build the arJc ? 
Because the iniquity of mankind had determined God to 

sweep them from the face of the earth ; Noah and his family, 
alone, with two of every kind of animals, being reserved alive 
in the ark. 

64. The ark of Noah was a house made capable of floating — not a ship, as has 
been frequently suppos* \, and as frequently represented in pictures. It was 



14 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 2469.— Noah Enters tlie Art. 



intended to repose idly upon the waters of the flood, not for sailing or for progression. 
The Scripture account says merely, " Make thee an ark of gopher-wood : rooms 
shalt thou make in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without." The 
length, " 300 cubits ; " the breath, "oO cubits ; " the height, " 30 cubits ; " the door 
at the side, and the window in the roof, include all the particulars given. 

65. W/ii/ was Noah directed to tahe with him into the arJc 
couples of every species of animals found in that region ? 

Because such a course was necessary to their preservation 
alive, and that upon the subsidence of the waters they might be 
ready for the use or delectation of Noah and his family. 

66. The difficulty of providing in the ark for the care and subsistence of a pair 
of every species of animal vanishes when we consider, with the best commentators, 
that only such animals were included as were to be found in the parts of Asia, 
Africa, and Eastern Europe, which then comprehended the world. The whole 
world had not been peopled — probably not one twentieth part of it; and it is 
reasonable to suppose that the flood extended only to such a portion as was 
inhabited. This consideration would reduce the animals to be preserved in the ark 
of Noah to a comparatively small number. 

67. TVhy is the fact of the universal deluge to he received 
apart from the Divine sanction of the JBihlical narrative ? 

Because the tradition of a deluge, by which the race of man 
was swept from the face of the earth, has been found in all 
nations, civilized or uncivilized. 

68. On this point the historical and mythological testimonies are very clear and 
conclusive. They are to be met with among the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Chaldeans, 
Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Eomans, Goths, Druids, Chinese, Hindoos, Burmese, 
Mexicans, Peruvians, Brazilians, the inhabitants of New Caledonia, and the islands 
of the Pacific ; and among most of them the belief has prevailed that a certain 
family was preserved in an ark, ship, boat, or raft, to replenish the desolated earth 
with inhabitants. Corroborative evidence is also met with on coins and monimients 
of stone. Of the latter are the sculptures of Egypt and of India, and the 
"kistvaen" of the Druids. 

69. Why did the arlc occupy so many years in building ? 
That the people might benefit by the continual warning 

afforded by its gradual erection, and the preaching of Noah. 

70. God mercifully afforded a respite of one hundred and twenty years between 
the first announcement and the fulfilment of His threat of the universal flood, 
during which Noah sought to work salutary impressions upon his neighbours and 
the unbelieving world, and to bring them to repentance. Thus he was a " preacher 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 15 



B.C. 2469.— The Tower of Babel. 



of righteousness" (Heb. xi. 7), exercising faith in the testimony of God, moved with 
holy reverence and fear, and by the contrast of his conduct condemning the 
world. 

71. Why is the arTc considered to he a figure of Bajptism ? 
Because it is stated to be so by the Apostle St. Peter, tlius : 

" By wliicli also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, 
which sometime were disobedient. When once the long-suffer- 
ing of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a 
preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by 
water. The like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save 
us." (1 Peter iii. 19—21.) 

72. Why were Noah and his descendants prohibited the eating 
of hlood ? 

Because it was intended as a mark of distinction and a test 
of obedience, and was a preliminary to the regular establish- 
ment of the Jewish law. 

73. Why is the mention of Asshur (Gen. x. 11) especially 
interesting ? 

Because the monuments and sculptures attributed to that 
person or his dynasty being in our possession,* we are enabled 
to form some idea of the appearance and characteristics of the 
people of those remote ages. 

74. Why teas the Tower of Bahel built ? 

Because the descendants of Noah feared a second deluge, 
4ind sought, by the erection of a very high structure, to avert 
some of its consequences. 

75. It appears that the primitive fathers of mankind having, from the time of 
the deluge, wandered without fixed abode, settled at length in the land of 
Shinar, where they took up a permanent residence. As yet they had remained 
together without experiencing any inconvenience, and were all of one language. 
Finding suitable materials, they proceeded to the construction of brick buildings, 
using the bitumen abounding thereabout for mortar. A city was bmlt, and the 
tower mentioned in the text. A Divine interference now takes place. The language 
of the builders is confounded, so that they are no longer able to understand each 
other ; they therefore leave off to build the city, and are scattered abroad upon 
tho face of all the earth. 

* At the Brllish Museum, see Assyrian Eooms. 



16 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 2233.— The Confusion of Tongues. 

76. Why loas tJie jolace called Bahel ? 

Prom tlie Hebrew word Bahel, confusion. Joseplins, quoting 
the " Sibyl," says : "When all men were of one language, some 
of them built a high tower as if they would thereby ascend up 
to heaven ; but the gods sent storms of wind and overthrew the 
tower, and gave every one his peculiar language ; and for this 
reason it was that the city was called Babylon." 

77. That the tower was subsequently completed is certain from the best historical 
evidences. 

78. Why tvere the tongues of men confounded ? 

Because it was the intention of Divine Providence that the 
people should scatter or distribute themselves over the whole 
renovated earth. 

79. This confusion of tongues is one of the greatest miracles recorded in the 
Old Testament : men forgot in a moment the language which they had hitherto 
spoken, and found themselves enabled to speak another, known only to a few of tlie 
same family, for we must not suppose that there were as many new languages as 
there were men at Babel. The precise number of original languages then heard 
for the first time cannot be determined. The Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Teutonic, 
Sclavonian, Tartarian, and Chinese languages are considered to be original, the rest 
are only dialects from them. 

80. Why is the account of the dispersion of the people 
followed by the genealogy of Shem ? 

Because he was the ancestor of the chosen people of the 
Jews, and hence the genealogy was of great importance. 

81. After the confusion of their language, the various families were forced to 
move forward, and to seek settlements over diiferent parts of the world. At this 
early period of the world, kingdoms, properly so-called, did not exist : the people 
lived more like the present Tartar or Mongol tribes of northern Asia, than like 
the states and cities of Europe ; and the authority of the patriarch and other old 
men of the tribe was sufficient for the maintenance of order. 

Nimrod, of whom the Scripture says that " he was a mighty hunter before the 
Lord," was the first to attempt to found a dominion by force. He was of the 
doomed family of Ham, and settled on the Euphrates, where he built the cities of 
Babel or Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh. Asshur, of the family of Shem, settled 
on the Tigris, and built Nineveh, which was afterwards the centre of the Assyrian 
empire, and which is subsequently so often mentioned in the Biblical history. Elam, 
the second son of Shem, settled to the east, and from him came the Medes and 
Persians, who formed the second of the four great empires of Daniel's dream. 
The kingdom of Nimrod did not last long, for Noah had foretold that Ham should 
be a servant of hie brethren ; and after several wars his race was expelled by the 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 17 



B.C. 1921.— Origin of Idolatry. 

Assyrians of Nineveli, and forced to settle at a distance, probably in Arabia. Of 
these early times, however, very little is known from any source, except the short 
notices contained in the Bible. The wars in the time of Abraham appear to have 
been between the rival families of Shem and Ham. 

82. Why toas Ahram called to depart from Jus country 
and Tcindred ? 

Because (1) a trial of liis obedience was required, and (2) 
that he miglit take possession of the land (Canaan) which was to 
be the inheritance of the people of Israel, his seed, and the 
scene of those stupendous events upon which the whole Bible 
history hinges. 

83. Abram was a native of Chaldea, and descended through Heber (the patriarch 
from whose nanae the term Hebrew is derived) in the ninth generation from Noah. 
His father was Terah, who had two other sons, Nahor and Haran. The latter died 
before his father Terah, leaving a son. Lot, and two daughters, Milcah and Iscah. 
Lot attached himself to Abram, his uncle, Milcah became the wife of JS'ahor (her 
uncle) , and Iscah, who was also called Sarai, married Abram. 

His first migration was from Ur, of the Chaldees, to Charran. After dwelling at 
the latter place for several years, his second migration is ordered, and he departs 
with Sarai, Lot, and their households, to Canaan, resting at Sichem. From thence 
he removed to the east of Bethel, then proceeding farther south, and at length, on 
account of the famine, going down into Egypt. 

84. Why did not Ahram during the famine return to his 
friends 1 

Because it was the purpose of Divine Providence to isolate 
him from them. 

85. The Jewish traditions represent Abram's father and uncle as absorbed in 
the idolatrous practices of the time, and this may have been one reason of his 
departure southwaid. 

86. Why did men invent such a multiplicity of false gods ? 
Because, losing by degrees the true tradition and becoming 

corrupted, they fell back upon their imaginations and fancies 
to supply its place. 

87. Tradition says, that ISToali gave his children seven commandments, which 
were the foundations of the notions of right and wrong that are common to aU people. 
From him aU the nations carried away with them into their different settlements the 
belief in a future Messiah from the family of Shem, the knowledge of God and of His 
future day of judgment; as also of the duty of prayer, and of observing the Sabbath 
with sacrifices. Such was the simple and plain rehgion which Noah, whom St. Paul 
calls a preacher of righteousness, taught to his sons ; and this is what would have con- 



18 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 1920.— Abram in Egypt. 



tiQued in tlie world if the nations had preserved uncorrupted what they received 
from the patriarch. Instead, however, of continuing to worship the God of heaven, 
the pure Spirit who cannot be seen, they began to seek objects of worship which 
were visible ; and thus they were led to make images which after a time came to be 
regarded as gods. Of these visible objects of worship, the first were the Sun, the 
Moon, and Fire as an element. 'Next they took the 
image which had been set up in honour of some king 
or statesman, and began to pay it divine honours. 
An example of this is seen in the figures of Nim- 
rod preserved in the British Museum. From the 
custom of embalming the dead, and preserving 
them in places where the surviving members of 
the family could visit them from time to time, they 
came to offer sacrifices to deceased members of 
their own families and to look upon them as gods. 
In all this the great enemy of mankind was en- 
gaged, as we read in the I^ew Testament epistles. 
The progress of this idolatry is shown in the 
annexed drawings. Fig. 1 is an Egyptian mummy, 
or the embalmed body of some member of an 
Egyptian family. Figs. 2, 3, are from the sculp- 
tures upon Egyptian monuments, representing the 
gods as they were publicly worshipped. They 
show how the figure of the embalmed corpse 
became the pattern which the worlanen who made 
the idols for the use of the temples took for their 
model. Figs. 4 to 7 show the further progress of 
corruption, by boi-rowing from the brute creation, 
and by degrading the rexDresentation of God to the 
point of placing the heads of brute creatures upon 
a human shape ; and lastly. Fig. 8 shows how, 
in the end, they came to the form of a complete four-footed beast. 

This latter was the god Apis, held in the utmost veneration in Egypt. It was 
from this idol, or rather Kving animal — for the living animal was worshipped — that 
the Israelites in the wilderness took the idea of requiring Aaron to make for them 
the image of the golden calf. St. Paul says (Kom. i. 21), "When they knew God 
they glorified Him not as God, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God 
into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, 
and creeping things." 

88. Wki/ did Ahram, wlieyi in JEgypt, 'pretend that his ivife 
Sarai was his sister 07ily ? 

Because her great beauty miglit have tempted the Egyptians 
to kill Abram in order to obtain possession of her perison. 

89. Calling Sarai his sister left him without risk with the Egyptians. The famo 
of her charms appears soon to have reached the lung's ears, who sent for her, and 
Abram waa used weU for her sake. But God vindicated the honour of ms servants 




K-IMEOD, OB NIMKOITD. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



19 



B.C. 1920.— Progress of Idolatry. 




Fiff. 7. 



Fiff. ?. 



20 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

B.C. 1920.— Hagar and Ishmael. 

by plaguing Pharaoh, who very soon dismissed Abram and Sarai, loading them 
with presents and hurrying, them away. 

It may be thought strange that a miraculous interference should have been 
necessary to convince Abimelech of his criminality in retaining the wife of Abram ; 
and equally strange that Abram could not procure Sarai' s release by proper applica- 
tion and request. But such thoughts arise only from ignorance of the customs of 
the East. Whenever a woman is taken into the harem of an oriental prince with the 
design of making her his -wife, she is secluded without a probability of egress — at 
least during the Hfe of the prince on the throne. Nor is communication with women 
in the harem in ox'dinary cases to be obtained. This view places the interference of 
Providence, on behalf of Abram, in the strongest light, and offers some excuse for 
the culpable dissimulation of the patriarch, and later of Isaac under similar circum- 
stance (Gen. ixvii. 7). The Hfe of a husband, it may be easily understood, had but 
a small chance of being preserved when it stood in the way of despotic indulgence. 

90. Whither did Abram go ? 

He returned to liis former residence between Bethel 
and Hai. 

91. Why was Abram blessed by Melchisedeh ? 

Because of the great services rendered to his neighbours by 
his conquest of the four kings. 

92. That part of Canaan had been subjugated by the Assyrian monarchy. The 
four kings, Chedorlaomer and his confederates, appear to have been viceroys, or 
governors, of the conquered cities of the plain— Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and 
Zeboiim. The kings of these cities, after a submission of twelve years, made an 
effort to throw off their yoke ; it was in this endeavour that they were defeated, 
and Lot was taken prisoner. Abram, collecting his family and dependents, rushed 
to the rescue, and, doubtless aided by the Divine blessing, defeated the Assyrians. 
It was upon his return from this victory that the blessing of Melchisedek was 
conferred. 

93. Why is the name of MelchisedeTc so often referred to in 
Scripture ? 

Because he was, like others of the patriarchs and prophets, a 
type of the promised Messiah. 

94. Why did Abram taTce Hagar to wife f 

At the suggestion of Sarai, who des]3aired of becoming a 
mother. 

95. Why tvas Hagar afterioards eocpelled from lier house by 
Sarai ? 

Because, growing proud of her position as the mother of 
Abram's son, she despised her mistress. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY, 21 



B.C. 1871. — Abraham OiFers up Isaac. 

96. Why did Sagar call her child Ishmael? 

Because slie wished to commemorate by tliat name the 
answer to her prayer, the word Ishmael signifying " God hears." 

97. Why loas the rite of circumcision instituted ? 

In order to mark by an outward sign the covenant made 
with Gc-d by Abram, whose name was now changed to Abraham. 

98. Why was the name of this jpatriarch changed'^ 

It was a part of the symbolization which marked the 
renewal at this time of God's promises to Abraham. 

99. Abram, in the Hebrew, signifies a "high father," but Ahralxam, the 
" father of a multitude." The reason for the change is also given in the text 
(Gen. xvii. 5), "For a father of many nations have I made thee." 

Sarai's name was also changed to Sarah; the first meant simply "lady," the 
second, "a great lady or princess." 

100. Why did the three angels appear to Ahraham ? 
Because it was necessary by such a mark of Divine fa- 
vour to strengthen his faith in the promise of an heir. 

101. Why tuere the cities of the plain destroyed '/ 
Because of the great wickedness of their inhabitants, which 

seems to have exceeded that of all other nations, before or since. 

102. Why was Lot's tcife turned into a pillar of salt ? 

As a terrible mark of the anger of God towards the devoted 
cities, a momentary sympathy with whose inhabitants seems to 
have called down this signal punishment. God may have 
inflicted this temporal punishment on her, and saved her soul. 

103. Why loas Ahraham commanded to sacrifice his son 
Isaac ? 

Because a further proof of his faith in the promises of God 
was required of him, and as a final test of his obedience. 

104. The account of Abraham's ofi'ering, as contained in Gen. xxii., is perhaps 
the most truly affecting narrative in the whole sacred volume : it is almost impos- 
Bible to read it without strong emotion. 

105. Who was ReheJcah? 

She was the daughter of Bethucl, son of Milcah, the wife of 
Nalior, Abraham's brother. 



22 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

B.C. 1856.— Esau and Jacob. 

106. Wh^ loas she cJiosen as the tvife of Isaac ? 
Because of lier kindred — Abraham wishing to avoid a 

marriage with the Canaanites on the part of his son. 

107. Who was Lahan ? 

He was the brother of Eebekah. 

108. Why was Esau so named? 

On account of the redness of his skin, the TTord Esau 
being rendered red, " or covered with hair." 

109. The name of Edom (red) was afterwards applied to him from the red 
pottage, for a mess of which, when fatigued and exhausted with hunting, Esau 
sold his birthright to liis younger brother. 

110. Why was the name of Jacob given to the younger son of 
Isaac ? 

Because of the circumstances attending his birth, when he 
wrestled with his brotber and sought tosuppLint him ; the word 
signifying a wrestler, or "one who supplants." 

111. It would seem that the patriarchs were all more or less endued with 
the gift of prophecy, the names given to their offspring being generally signifi- 
cant of the course of their after-life. In the case of Jacob this is especially 
remarkable, since his whole career was but a conunentary upon the text which his 
n.ime presents. He supplanted his brother in various ways, and wrestled not only 
with him, but with the Divine messenger or angel of G-od himself (Gen. xxxii. 24).* 

112. Why did Jacob flee into Mesopotamia ? 

Because, having obtained by fraud the blessing his father 
Isaac intended for Esau, he feared the effects of his brother's 
anger. 

113. What were the circumsta^ices under which Jacob 
married Rachel and Leah 1 

Fleeing from the wrath of Esau, he came to the house of his 
uncle Laban the Syrian, the son of Bethuel. Here he first 
saw Kachel, Laban's younger and favourite daughter, and 
covenanted to serve him seven years for her sake. At the 

* From the birth of these twins St. Gregory shows the foUy of astrol(>gers, 
who pretend that our actions are under the influence of the planets, and that 
two born at the same time will hive the same fate. H^w different were the livea 
of Jacob and Esau ! 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 23 

B.C. 1739.— Jacob Wrestles with the Angel. 

expiration of that period Laban deceived him by substituting 
Leah for Eaehel (Gen. xxix. 23) ; but the marriage week beiug 
completed, Eaehel is also given to Jacob, and he consents to 
serve Laban another seven years for her. 

114. It is still customai-y among Oriental nations to keep np the marriage fes- 
tivities for seven days, during which time aU the guests are merry and joyful, and 
•all care and anxiety are put aside. 

115. Why did Jacob remain six years longer loith Lahan ? 
Because the latter, who was a harsh and avaricious man, 

objected to his departure, consenting, however, to Jacob's pro- 
posal for a better remuneration. 

116. This proposal was, that Jacob should receive as his share all the spotted 
and speckled sheep and goats of the various flocks ; but Laban, in accordance 
with his usual mode of procedure, at once set to work to avoid the bargain. He 
separated the white and black from the speclded portion of his flocks, and placed a 
three days' journey between them, so that no increase might be made in Jacob's 
portion. The patriarch, however, it would seem, by the Divine direction, took 
means to circumvent the knavery of Laban (Gen. xxix. 37), and with the most suc- 
cessful results : the speclded portion increasing exceedingly. 

117. Why did Jacob leave Laban s house clandestinely ? 
Because his former experience led him to believe that other- 
wise he would not be suffered to depart. 

118. Why did Jacob turestle tvith the angel ? 

That he might learn, by this experience of the Divine favour, 
that neither Laban, Esau, nor any other man should have power 
to hurt him. 

119. Although the person with whom Jacob wrestled is in the text called a 
man, we learn from Hosea (xii. 4) that it was an angel in human shape. 



120. Why was Jacob's name, after his contest ioith the 
changed to Israel ? 

To mark his victorious character, the word Israel being 
compounded of Issor-al, a prince of God. 

121. Whence is the tcord "■ Jeio '^ derived ? 
From Judali, the fourth son of Jacob by Leah. 



21 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WUY. 



B.C. 1730.— Joseph Sold into Egypt. 



122. The names of the twelve sons of Jacob, with their signification, are : — 



Eeuben, son of vision. 
Simeon, bearing. 
Levi, joined. 
Judah, praise. 
Dan, judging. 
Naphtali, my wrestling. 



Gad, a troop. 

Asher, happy. 

Issachar, a hire or wages. 

Zebulun, dwelling, 

Joseph, adding. 

Benjamin, son of the right hand. 



123. Why 10 as Joseph hated hy his hrethren ? 

Because of tlie preference shown hira by Lis father, who 
loved him as the child of his old age, but still more on account 
of his innocent and ingenuous character. 

124. Why did Joseph dream 'prophetic dreams ? 

Because it was the purpose of God to make him the instru- 
ment of his will with regard to the preservation of the human 
race, and the ultimate destinies of the Jewish people. 

125. Joseph was undoubtedly a type of Jesus Christ, and nis history is to be 
regarded as foreshadowing the suiFerings of the Messiah, and the glory that was to 
foUow. 

126. Why teas Joseph sold hy his hrethren to the Ishmaelites ? 
Because they thought that thus they would more easily rid 

themselves of the presence of one whose life and conduct were 
a contrast and a reproach to their own. 

127. Why toas Joseph cast into prison in Egypt ? 
Because, being transferred by the Ishmaelites to the service 

of Potiphar (an oiBcer of 
the Xing of Egypt), and 
placed by him over his 
household, refusing the 
wicked solicitations of his 
mistress, he was falsely 
accused by her of an at- 
tempt upon her chastity. 

128. Why ivas Joseph 
released, from prison f 
EGYPTIAN cow (illustrative of rharaoh's Because, possessing the 

dream. Gen. xli.) supernatural gift of the 

was called upoD to re- 




interpretation of dreams, he 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



25 



B.C. 1707. — Joseph and his Brethren. 



cl re ain e d by Pb ara oli , 



king of 



solve the meanicg of one 
Egvpt. 

129. He had previously interpreted those of the king's chief butler and chief 
baker, his fellow-prisoners. The striking fuWlment of their visions should have met 
with a better result for Joseph ; but as with men in general, the fortunate court- 
officer, when restored to favour and prosperity, forgot his friend Joseph, who 
remained to suffer two years more of 
unmerited incarceration, when he web 
sent for by Pharaoh. 

The dream of Pharaoh's chief 
baker is interesting in connection 
with the light thrown upon its details 
by certain sculptures at present in 
the British Museum. That officer 
had forfeited in some way the roysil 
favour : he was thrust into prison, 
(with what justice or for how long a 
period we are not informed). While 
here he dreams a dream, which he 
relates to Joseph, his fellow-captive. 
Unhappily it presages that the State 
of?loer shall shortly suffer death. But 
we may glance at the circumstance 
that while the unfortunate functionary 
was conveying upon Ids head prepared 
meats for Pharaoh, the birds of the 
air came and devoured a portion of 
them. The annexed illustration shows 
how readily this might have been 
done, especially when it is considered that many of the Egyptian haUa were 
open to the sky. 




iXPTIAIf STEWAIID 



lESENTING MEATS. 



130. Why did the .<^ons of Jacob go dotcii to Egyi^t ? 

On account of the famine which overspread for seven years 
that part of the world. 

131. Joseph's fore-knowledge enabled him to provide for this, and Egypt 
became one vast granary, to which of necessity all the surrounding nations resorted. 
The famine came, but it found a prepared people. Joseph had been appointed 
viceroy or governor over all the land, and it is probable that he anticii^ated the visit 
of his brethren, and was prepared for it with a plan of action. 

132. Why did JosepJi receive Ids brethren iuith harshness ? 
Because he wished to bring them to a sense of their former 

wickedness and to humble them. 

3 



26 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 1707. — Jacob Goes Down to Egypt. 

133. JVhy is Josejpli said to liave enslaved- the Egyjptians f 
Because the famine was of suck a grievous nature tliat, 
having parted with all their treasure to purchase corn from the 
royal granaries, the Egyptians had no alternative, in order to 
preserve life, but to part with their lands, and finally their 
liberties. 




MOiNEY IN BAGS. 

(rrom tiie Egyptian Sculptures.) 



134. A striking proof of the truth of the Mosaical narrative is to be found in 
the well-known fact, that the system inaugurated by Joseph on this occasion has 

remained in force through every subse- 
quent age, and amid all the vicissitudes of 
the nation. There has never been any right 
of property in land down to the present day. 
The population which has cultivated it has 
always been the slave of the government, 
and has paid to government-officers the 
portion of the year's produce, in pursuance 
of the agreement made originally between 
themselves and Joseph (Gen. xlvii.) At 
the present day the Turkish pasha is the 
owner of the soil, and orders what crops to 
be grown he thinks fit ; the people who 
cultivate the ground being serfs, living in villages under a head or sheik, and 
bound to pay, in the fixed proportion of the crop, to the collector appointed by 
the pasha. 

The whole circumstances are so interesting, from an historical point of view, 
that they are here repeated :— The famine increased in the land of Egypt, and the 
people of the land, during the first year, brought aU their money to Joseph to buy 
food from his granaries. The second year, when they had no more money left, they 
came to Joseph sa,ying, " Give us bread, for why should we die in thy presence ? for 
the money faileth." Joseph said, " Give your cattle." They did this ; and after- 
wards brought their flocks and herds. When these were gone they said, " We vnU 
not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent ; my lord hath also our 
herds of cattle ; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies and 
our lands. Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land ? buy us 
and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh ; and give 
us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land be not desolate." So Joseph 
bought all the land of Egypt, every man selling his possessions, a portion for the 
sacerdotal order being alone reserved. 



135. Why loas Jacob toith his Ja)uily located in the land of 
Goshen f 

Because the Hebrews, being shepherds, were despised by 
the Egyptians, and therefore Joseph, by placing his brethren 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 27 

B.C. 1639.— The Bondage of the Jews in Egypt. 

at some distance from the capital, removed the chances of a 
continual dissension. 

136. Why did Jacob, in blessing tlie iico sons of Joseph, give 
the jpreference to the younger ? 

Because, with the gift of prophecy, he distinguished in 
Ephraim, the younger, his superior dignity, as destined to give 
kings to the ten tribes, and as the ancestor of Joshua, who, as a 
figure of Christ, should introduce the Israelites into the promised 
land. 

137. The book of Genesis concludes -with the account of the deaths of Jacob and 
Joseph — their embahnment, and their burial in coffins, after the manner of the 
Egyptians. The student of the Bible, and indeed of all ancient history, should not 
fail to visit those departments of the national collection in the British Museum vrhich 
contain the Bibhcal antiquities. The Egj'ptian and the Assyrian rooms are full of 
the reUcs of that early period, and throw a wonderful light upon the records of the 
Pentateuch. 

138. WJiy is the second booJc of JSIoses called. Exodus ? 

Because it contains an account of the going out of the chil- 
dren of Jsrael from the land of Egypt to that of promise ; the 
term Exodus being taken from the Greek word Exodos, signi- 
fying an exit or going out. 

139. The Hebrews, according to their custom, call this book Yeelle Sesiosh; 
the words with which it commences signifA^ing these are the names. Its history 
includes a period of 145 years, from the death of Joseph to the erection of the 
tabernacle in the wilderness, B.C. 1490. 

The slavery of the Israehtes is described in the first chapters, and is supposed 
to hare continued ninety years. The laws herein prescribed by God to his people, 
the sacrifices, tabernacle, etc., were all intended to prefigure the Christian dispensa- 
tion. Moses himself was a type of Jesus Christ, who was rejected by the 
Synagogue and received by the Gentiles, as the Jewish legislator was abandoned 
by his mother and educated by the Egyptian princess ; she delivers him back to 
his mother, and thus the Jews will at last acknowledge our Saviour. 

140. Why icere the children of Israel held by the Egyptians 
in bondage ? 

Because of the great increase of their numbers, joined to 
the well-known predictions of their future power. 

141. The tyrant, "who knew not Joseph," began his reign about fifty-eight 
years after that patx-iarch's death : his name, according to some authorities, was 
Pharaoh Amenophis, according to others, Eamases Miamum, 



28 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 1491.— The Burning Bush, 

» 

142. Why did JPJiaraoh command all the male children of 
the Sehreios to he cast into the river {Nile) ? 

Because of the failure of his previous order to the mid- 
wives to destroy them. 

143. This cruel edict appears to have been evaded to a very great extent ; 
probably the Egyptians themselves abhorred and refused to execute its provisions. 

144. Why did the another of Hoses expose him in an ark 
of hullrushes ? 

Because, notwithstanding the edict, she trusted that the 
providence of God would direct some kindly disposed person 
to protect him, although she herself was unable to do so. 

145. The event justified her expectations. The king's daughter coming to the 
river's side discovers the child, and being struck with its beauty, adopts it for her 
own ; while the anxious mother, by offering herself at the fortunate moment as its 
nurse, secures for it the maternal superintendence, Philo beheves that the 
princess feigned him to be her own child. 

From Heb. x>.. 24, we learn that Moses " when he was come to years refused to 
be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with 
the people of G-od." But the adoption of Moses by a person of rank was of great 
importance : by this means he was educated "in aU the learning of the Egyptians ;" 
thus his natural gifts were fully developed, and he became in many respects better 
adapted for his future vocation. 

146. Why did Moses flee from Egypt to Midian ? 

To avoid the penalty he had incurred by slaying the 
Egyptian whom he had seen striking one of his oppressed 
brethreu. 

147. This doubtful act became, by Divine Providence, a means of advancing him 
further in his preparation for his future career, by inducing him to escape into 
the Arabian desert. Here in the abode of the Midianitsh prince Jethro, whose 
daughter Zipporah he married, and in the solitude of pastoral hfe, he was appointed 
to ripen gradually for his high calling before he was unexpectedly and suddenly 
sent back among his people, in order to achieve their deliverance from Egyptian 
bondage. 

148. Why did God appear to Moses in the burning hush ? 

In order to impress upon him a due sense of the super- 
natural character of his future mission as the deliverer and 
lawgiver of the Jewish people. 

149. His own constitutional diffidence and timidity rendered Moses naturally 
unfitted for so great an office; but the " meekest of men" is now invested with the 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 



B.C. 14.91.— Moses Before Pharaoh. 

Divine commission, and he is told to rely not upon himself, but upon God. To his 
excuses, such as, " I am not eloquent," it is replied, " Who hath made man's mouth? 
or who maketh the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind.? Have not I the 
Lord? " (Exod. iv. 11.) He I'eturns to Egypt accompanied by Aaron, his brother, 
and neither the dispirited state of the Israelites, nor the obstinate oppositions and 
threatenings of Pharaoh were now able to intimidate the man of God. 

150. Why was the rod of Moses changed into a serjpent ? 
To show him that God had invested him with miraculous 

powers, and to give him confidence in his intercourse with the 
Egyptians that he should have the Divine support. 

151. Why did Pharaoh refuse to let the Israelites depart 
from JEgyjpt ? 

Because he wished to show contempt for the mission of 
Moses and Aaron. Moreover, his people found the services of 
the Israelites profitable to them. 

152. These latter were employed in aU the menial offices of their time, but 
their chief work appears to have been. the making of bricks. Previous to the first 
message of Moses, the Israelites had been furnished with the straw necessary, but 
now they were told to go and gather it for themselves. Nevertheless, the same 
amount of task -work was required of them, and thus their labours were doubled. 
The ungrateful character of the Jews here makes itself manifest, and they murmur 
against Moses as the caiise of their cruel treatment. 

153. Soil) were the JEgyptian sorcerers enahled to counterfeit 
the miracle of Moses's rod ichen changed into a serpent ? 

It is believed that they had real serpents in their hands, 
over which their skill as serpent-charmers enabled them so to 
operate that they made the animals to appear as rods, or as 
serpents, as suited them. 

15-1. Eastern travellers corroborate this view. Indeed this, or some other 
similar trick, must needs have been practised. St. Augustin, and the ancient 
councils, say : "Whoever believes that anything can be made, or any creature 
changed, or transmuted into another species or appearance, except by the Creator 
Himself, is undoubtedly an infidel, and worse than a pagan." But God might 
have permitted a portion of miraculous power to be used by these sorcerers as 
one means of hardening Pharaoh's heart, which He intended to do as a punish- 
ment for his cruelties towards the Hebrews. 

155. Why did Pharaoh at last let the people of Israel 
depart from Egypt ? 

Because of the severity of the plagues which the anger of 
God wrought upon him and upon his people. 



30 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 1491.— The Passover Instituted. 

156. Of the ten plagues sent upon Egypt— the turning of the river into blood — 
the swarms of frogs — of lice — of flies — the raurrain of cattle — the storm of hail — the 
locusts — the awful darkness — the boils — and, last, the slaying of the first-born, 
" from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat upon the throne, even unto the first-born 
of the servant that is behind the mill, and aU the first-born of beasts," was the 
most terrible, and indeed was too terrible to admit of any more trifling. 

Accordingly one thought alone now possessed the Egyptian nation, which was 
to get rid of the Israelites at any cost. Hence the willingness vnth which they 
stripped themselves of their jewels and ornaments in order to equip the hitherto 
despised Hebrews for their journey to the wilderness. That the latter " spoiled the 
Egyptians" effectually was due to the command of God conununicated through 
Moses, and was intended as a poor compensation to the Hebrews for the many 
tedious years of robbery and extortion they had suffered at the hands of Pharaoh 
end his nation. 

157. Why was the fassover instituted ? 

To commemorate "the passing over " of tlie destroying angel 
when the tenth plague was inflicted upon the Egyptia.is. 

158. The passover was thus observed : Each family was to take a lamb, or a 
kid, of one year old, not older, although it would do if over eight days old. This 
was to be killed and eaten with their loins girded and vrith staves in their hands, 
ready for their flight. Of the blood of this paschal lai3tj a portion was to be 
taken and sprinkled upon the lintel and two side-posts of the houses occupied by 
the Hebrews, that so the destroying angel, occupied in his terrible mission, seeing 
the blood-besprinkled doorways, might pass over them and spare the inmates. 

It is needless to point out how obviously this institution was a type of the IS'ew 
Testament dispensation. 

159. Why, on their departure from Egypt, tuere the Israel' 
ites led hy a miraculous pillar of a cloud and of fire ? 

That they miglit have a continual reminder of the super- 
natural guidance under wliicK they journeyed, and be made 
to depend rather upon its direction tlian upon their own plans. 

160. This pillar of a cloud assumed different appearances as the exigencies of 
the Hebrews required. A little later it is stated to have been a cause of darkness 
and terror to the pursuing Egyptians, while it afforded a cheering light to the 
flying Jews. 

161. Why ' did JPharaoh and his army pursue them ? 
Because they repented of their previous consent, regretted 

the loss of their multitude of slaves, their lent jewels, and were 
doubtless actuated by feelings of revenge at the slaughter of 
their first-born. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 31 



B.C. 14-91.— The Israelites Eater the Desert, 

162. Why were the waters of the Sed Sea divided ? 
Because it pleased Grod to afford His people another proof 

of His power by miraculously opening for tliom a path through 
the midst of the waves, and in order to inflict the most signal 
punishment upon their oppressors, who were bent upon their 
pursuit and destruction. 

163. God did not restrain the perverse will of the Egyptians, but suffered 
them to be guided by their blind passions, and to rush presumptuously into the 
bed of the sea. If the retiring of the waters had been owing to any natural cause, 
this astute people could not be unaware that at the stated time the ebbing would 
cease, and consequently that they would be overtaken by the waters. But these 
stood up "like a wall on their right hand and on their left," and the Egyptians 
were so infatuated as to suppose that the miracle would be continued for their 
protection. 

164. Why icas the encampment of the Israelites at Marah 
so called? 

Because of the bitterness of the water — the word Marah 
signifying bitter. 

165. Marah is now knoTvn by the name of Hawarah, and the water stiU 
retaftis its bitter taste. It is extremely unpleasant, and is the only water near the 
Eed Sea, which the Arabs refuse to drink, except in cases of extreme necessity ; 
and even camels, unless very thirsty, abstain from it. Dr. OUn states that it 
reminded him of a weak solution of Epsom salts. 

The dissatisfaction of the Israelites at the well of Marah may be further 
illustrated by remembering the fact, that the Nile water had an extraordinary 
sweetness of quality, and which it retains to this day. The bitterness of this 
fountain gave cause to Moses to work another miracle. By the command of God 
he threw into the waters a tree, "which the Lord showed him," and they became 
pleasant to the taste. 

166. Why toere the Israelites miraculously fed with quaiL 
and manna ? 

Because, on their arrival at the wilderness of Sin, they 
experienced. a scarcity of bread, and longed for the flesh-pots of 
Egypt. 

167. They arrived at this point of their journeyings upon the fifteenth day of the 
second month, having left Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month (the day 
after the institution of the passover). 

About eventide of the same day the quails were sent, and on the next 
morning the manna. These quails ( CoUirnix dactylisonans) are migratory birds. 



32 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

B.C. 1491. — The Laws given from Mount Sinai, 

They are often seen crossing the Mediterranean in prodigious flocks on their 
passage to and from Africa. Although swarms of them might settle around tlie tents 
of the Israehtes vidthout a miracle, yet nothing but the fiat of the Almighty could 
have sent them thither at an appointed time. Manna, according to Josephus, signi- 
fies, "What is it ?" being compounded of man-hu. This the text makes evident, for 
it says, " It is manna, for they wist not what it was." The nature and taste of the 
manna of the wilderness is stated in Exod. xvi. 31, " It was like coriander seed, white ; 
and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey." This was the usual taste, but 
the Book of Wisdom (xvi. 20) states that it had the quality of taking various tastes — 
" Thou feddest thine own people with angels' food, and didst send them from heaven 
bread prepared Avithout their labour, able to content every man's delight and 
agreeing to every taste." — (Quoted from Oxford Bible, 1769.) 

An omer of manna was set aside and preserved for a memorial, which pre- 
servation was itself a miracle, seeing that one of the characteristics of the manna 
was that it would not keep under ordinary circumstances (Exod. xvi. 20). 

168. W/i^ did Moses shrike the rock ? 

Because tke people being come to E-epliidim, where there 
was no water, they murmured against him; Moses, upon an 
appeal to God, was commanded to smite the rock of Horeb, 
and the supply of water was immediately forthcoming. 

169. Wh^/ wef^e the hands of Moses held up hy Aaron and 
Sur tuhile praying for the success of the Israelites against 
the AmaleJcites, idho had fallen upon their rear ? 

Because it was found that while they were raised in supplica- 
tion to Heaven, the Israelites prevailed, and when they drooped 
from fatigue, the people began to give way before their 
enemies. 

170. This was beyond doubt a most palpable type of the office of the future 
Messiah, and needs no special application. Every Christian is able to see and 
appreciate its aptitude. 

171. Why zcere the laws propounded from Mount Sinai 
amidst such terrifying circumstances ? 

Because the character of the Israelites demanded such a 
mode of communication; or, in the language of St. Paul, 
' because of the hardness of their hearts." 

172. Why did Moses, after the giving of the ten command- 
ments, remain forty days on the Mount ? 

Because he had to receive from the mouth of God the 
various details of the Jewish law and ceremonial. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASO^' WHY. 



33 



B.C. 1-191.— The Golden CaU" Worsliipped. 



173. Will/ did the Isi^adites set up a golden calf and 
worship it as a god ? 

Because, on account of the absence of ]\Io.>es in the mouct, 
tliey deemed that God had abandoned them, and they ancord- 
ing]y fell back upon the insensate idolatry of Egypt. 

174. It is expressly said, in Joshua xxIt. 14, that while in Egypt the Hebrews had 
serred the gods of that country ; and 

had this information been wanting, 
the fact of their predilection for the 
idolatry of Egypt would be suffi- 
ciently apparent from their conduct 
on the present and various other 
occasions. That the idol to which 
they now turned aside was an Egyp- 
tian god, there can be very little 
doubt, and it is very generally 
agreed that this god was no other 
than Apis, the sacred buU of Mem- 
phis, under whose form Osiris was 
worshipped. 

175. WJiy did Moses, in 
his surprise and anger 
against the people, hreah 
the tables of the law which 
had been written by the 

finger of God? 

Because he considered that such a rebelKous people were 
unworthy of so sacred a deposit. 

176. The Jews keep the seventeenth day of the fourth month as a fast in 
memory of this event. 

177. Why ivere the artificers 'Bezaleel and Aholiab inspired 
to carry out the construction of the tabernacle and sacred 
vestments of the Jewish ceremonial? 

In order that the outward appurtenances of the true worship 
might in no way resemble those of the heathen peoples by 
whom the Israelites were surrounded, and thus be a stum- 
bling block to them. 

178. WJiy is the third booh of Moses called Leviticus ? 
Because it treats of the offices, ministries, rites, and cere- 
monies of the priests and Levltes under the Jewish law, 

3* 




APIS (the golden calf). 



34 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

B.C. 1490.— The Tabernacle. 

179. Tlie Hebrews term it VA-TIKEA, " and he (the Lord) called," with which 
word it begins. In the Septuagint it is called Levitikon — from which the Latin word, 
Leviticus, of the Vulgate, is formed ; and the word has been adopted in the autho- 
rized and other modern versions of the Scripture. The first seven chapters explain 
the sacrifices, the next sixteen the ofiices and ordination of the priests and Levites. 
From the twenty-third chapter to the end the feasts are designated, and some 
regulations respecting vows are interspersed. These prescriptions were given 
during the month of Nisan, in the second year after the exit from Egypt, while the 
Hebrews remained near the foot of Mount Sinai. 

180. Why is the fourth hooJc of 3foses called Numbers ? 
Because it begins and concludes witli the numbering of 

the people. 

The word " N"umbers " is derived from the Greek (of the Septuagint) API® MOT. 
Its Latin rendering in the Vulgate is Humeri, the Enghsh of which is " Numbers." 
The history comprised in this portion of the Pentateuch extends over about thirty- 
nine years, or from the second month of the second year after the departure from 
Egypt, until the beginning of the eleventh month of the fortieth year. In the first 
nine chapters various orders of people are described, and several laws are given or 
I'epeated. From the tenth to the thirty- third the marches and history of the Hebrews 
are related. Moses is considered to have composed this part of the Pentateuch, as 
well as the Deuteronomy, a httle before his death, out of the memoirs which he had 
carefully preserved. 

181. Why was the fifth hooTc of Moses called Deuteronomy ? 
Because it is a repetition of the law previously given, the 

word signifying " a second law." 

182. This title sufficiently characterizes the contents of the book, which comprises 
a series of addresses dehvered by Moses to the assembled Israehtes, when he knew 
that he was shortly to be taken from among them, and when they were upon the eve 
of departure for the promised land. He exhorts the Israehtes, in the most pathetic 
manner, to be faithful to the Lord, adding the strongest threats and promises to 
enforce their comphance ; and having appointed Joshua to succeed him, and given 
the book of Deuteronomy to be kept with care, he blesses the people for the last 
time, goes up to the top of Mount Pisgah, and dies. There can be no difficulty about 
the authenticity of this book from the fac* C'f Moses' death being described therein, 
since he himself might have inserted it by Divine inspiration, or it might have been 
added afterwards by its transcriber, Ezra. 

183. WJiy is a general acquaintance with the form and 
character of the Jewish Tabernacle desirable on the jpart of 
every Christian ? 

Because, without it, it is impossible to understand the other 
portions of the Old and New Testaments, or to appreciate the 
thousand allusions thereto scattered over the whole of sacred 
literature. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 35 



B.C. 1490.— The Tabernacle. 



DESCEIPTION" OF THE TABERNACLE OF THE AVILDERNESS. 

184. The Outer Court of the Tahernacle -was an enclosvire fifty-eight yards 
long, by about half that breadth. The height of the enclosing fence was about nine 
feet ; it was made of fine twisted linen curtains, supported by sixty pillars or rods of 
brass, fixed in sockets of the same metal, twenty on each side and ten at the ends. 
The four centre rods at each end sustained a curtain, the ends of which looped up 
and formed the entrance or doorway. Entering this doorway from the east, the 
Tabernacle itself stood immediately before the spectator, close to the western end 
of the court. In the intermediate space stood the altar of burnt-ofiering, and a 
little to the left the brazen laver. 

The A Itar of Burnt-offering, made of wood covered with brass plates, was about 
nine feet square and five feet high. It was half filled with earth. The upper 
part of the eastern side was grilled, or gi-ated, to allow the ashes of the fire to be 
removed. The top was a loose grating, on which was placed the wood for the 
fire and the offerings. At each corner was a horn; and two sides of the altar 
had rings, with poles, that were fixed into them, to admit of the altar being carried. 
Flesh-hooks, ladles, and other instruments of brass appertained to the altar, for 
use during the sacrifice. The priest ofi"ering the sacrifice approached to it on a 
slanting platform, made of earth, raised to the height of a large step. 

Tlie Laver stood to the left of the altar, and was a large bowl or basin, 
composed of brass, standing upon a pedestal of the same metal. It was kept 
very bright, and it served the piirpose of cleansing the hands and feet of the 
priests before and during the sacrifices. 

The Tabernacle itself was a building of an oblong square form, fifty-five feet 
long by eighteen feet in width and height, composed of boards of the imperishable 
Shittim wood: twenty on the north and south sides, -R-ith eight on the west end, 
the east end being left free for the entrance. These boards were entirely covered 
with plates of gold, and were set up by being fixed into sockets of soHd silver. 
The boards were kept together by five bars of the same wood covered with gold, 
running through rings fixed to the boards in three rows. The east end was 
closed by a veil, supported by five pillars of the same wood overlaid with gold, 
each standing in a socket of brass. The interior was divided into two compart- 
ments by another veil, eighteen feet distant from the west end, and supported by 
four pillars, as the outer veil was by five. The inner space thus enclosed was 
the " Holy of Hohes." 

The Eastern or Outer Compartment, which stood before the Holy of Holies, 
was draped entirely by rich hangings of fine hnen, wrought with cherubim and 
branches of plants in gold, purple, crimson, and blue. The first object that met 
the eye was the Altar of Incense, about three feet high, and one foot six inches 
square. It had a golden crown at the top, and was covered entirely Avith pure 
gold, and from this circumstance was called the Golden Altar. It was carried 
by means of two golden rods passing through rings in its sides, and it was used 
for burning upon it the people's offering of perpetual incense. It had horns at 
the four corners, which in particular solemnities were touched with the blood of 
the victims. On its left stood the 

Seven-lrayiched Golden Candlestick, composed of a stem and six branches, holdmg 
seven lamps, which were kept continually burning. Iri the right was pjaced the 



86 



THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 



B.C. 1490.— Vestments of the Higli Priest. 



Talle of Shew-hread, made from SMttim wood, covered -with gold; it was 
u'ved and crowned with gold in the same manner as the altar of incense. The 

loaves placed upon this table 
were twelve in number, and 
they remained lying upon it the 
whole week, being renewed pre- 
viously to each Sabba,th. They 
were kept in their places by a 
golden frame, and three small 
golden tubes were placed between 
each loaf to prevent mouldiness. 
The loaves that were removed 
were to be eaten by the priests 
alone. This table also held vari- 
ous small cups and bowls of gold, 
used in the oifering of hbations. 
Into this part of the Tabernacle 
none but priests might enter. 

The Holy of Holies was 
draped in a similar manner to 
the ante-chamber, and contained 
the Ark of the Cove lant. 




ABK OF THE COVEICAn^T, 



The ArJc was a coffer of imperishable wood, covered entirely with plates of 
gold, about thi-ee feet nine iaches long, by two feet three inches in height and width. 
With-'] it were kept the tables of 
the law, and beside them the pot of 
manna, and Aaron's rod that had 
budded. Within a golden crown, 
surrounding the top, was placed the 
mercy-seat. This was a plate of 
gold, serving as a kind of cover to 
the Ark. On either side of tlie 
mercy-seat stood two cherubim, 
bending do^vn in adoration, -with 
their wings extended over it. Here 
the Divine presence rested, and 
alone lighted the sanctuary. Into 
this place none but the high priest 
alone might enter upon one day in 
the year, the day of solemn atone- 
ment. 




EGYPTIAN (imitations of the Hebrew) 

CHEEL'BIM. 



The whole frame of the Tabernacle was enclosed by a tent of goat's hair, and two 
other coverings, one of ram's skins dyed red, and the tliird of fine furs. 

185. Wh^ were such minute directions given respecting the 
vestments of the high joriest t 

Because Lis ■\\liole appearance and functions liad a double, 
that is, a present and a future, meaning. 



THE BIBLICAIi EEASON WHY. 



37 



B.C. 1490.— Vestments of the High Priest. 



186. The priests were chosen from among men to be more holy, of whicl 
their washing was a sign, as their splendid robes were to remind them of theii 
dignity and authority over the people. 
The high priest had seven special orna- 
ments : — 1, white linen, to denote purity ; 
2, a curious girdle, intimating that he must 
use discretion in all things ; 3, the long 
tunic of various colours, with bells, etc. 
signifj-ing heavenly conversation upon 
earth, unity and harmony in faith and 
morals ; 4, an ephod, with two precious 
stones on the shoulders, teaching him to 
support the failings of the mtiltitude; 5, 
the rational, with its ornaments, shows 
that the high priest should teach sound 
and profitable doctriae ; 6, the mitre 
indicates that all his actions should be 
referred to God above ; and, lastly, the 
plate of gold denotes that he should always 
have God in view. {St. Jerome. Epis ad ^ 
Faviol.) 




AH•OI^'TXNG THE HIGH PEIESr. 



187. Hoto tcere the Ilehreivs 
enabled in the wilderne s to 
procure the large amount of gold and other precious materials 

required in the construction 
and ornamentation cf the 
Tabernacle and its append- 
ages ? 

Upon their exodus from 
Egypt tliey were in posses- 
sion of considerable wealth, 
' the result partlj'- of their own 
hoarding, and partly by their 
V having, in pursuance of the 
Divine direction, borrowed 
largely of their enslavers. 

EAK-EIKGS AKD HEAE-GEAK 02 TEE ^^S. That this "borrowing" prO- 

EGTPTiANS. duced a vast sum is evident from 

(F.xod.xii. 36) the passage which says, "And they spoiled the Egyptians." This 
store of gold and costly jewels consisted mainly in articles of personal attire and 
decoration, such as rings, pins, brooches, etc. When the sacred vessels and 
offices had to be constructed these were willingly offered. 




38 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY, 



E.G. 1439.— The Scape Goat— Pentecost. 




189. WJiy did Nadah and Ahihu perish hy Jire from God? 
Because, at tlie very outset of the establisliment of the 

law, they violated its precepts by offering strange fire before 
the Lord. 

190. The commandmeut was that the fire should be taken from the perpetual fire 
on the altar. Some commentators infer that 
this punishment was all they received — that 
their mortal part being punished, they saved 
their soiils. Hence they were said to have 
died before the Lord, and were buried ho- 
nourably. 

191. Why ivere the laws concern- 
ing the cure of leprosy instituted? 

Because of the significancy of 
that disease, as a type of sin in 
general. 

192. Doubtless there were many grievous 
disorders which equally demanded a cure. The 
singling out of this particular one sufficiently 
denotes the object of the law. The leper was 
to present himself before the priest ; the priest 

was to lead him forth from the camp and examine him ; was to take two birds, ahve 
and clean, cedar-wood, scarlet and hyssop. One of the birds was to be killed in an 
earthen vessel, overrunning water, into which the hving bird, the cedar -wood, hyssop, 
and scarlet were to be dipped, and the leper was to be sprinkled seven times : he was 
thus cleansed. The living bird was next let loose; the leper was conunanded to 
wash his clothes, to shave oiF all his hair, and return to the camp, but to remain 
outside his tent seven days. After once more washing his clothes and completely 
shaving off his hair, he had to make an offering, according to liis means, of lambs 
and oil; and with a few more ceremonies the rite was ended. 

193. Why tvas the scape-goat sent into the wilderness ? 
Because by that means the people had presented to them a 

most striking image of the office of the Messiah as the pardoner 
and reconciler of mankind with God. 

194. Why was the feast of Pentecost so called ? 
Because it was observed on the fiftieth day from the first 

day of passover, like which it was a commemoration of the 
deliverance from Egypt. 

195. Pentecost is Aerixed. from pentecoste, a. Greek word signifying the fiftieth j 
Hebrew title was the '* feast of weeks." 



MITBES OP THE PEIESTS. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



39 



B.C. 14S9,— Tlie Camp of the Desert. 



NOETH.— FOUETH DITISIOlSr— CAMP OP DAN", 157,' 



5^ 






"«3 



ASHEB 

41,500 



Dan 

62,700 

AND 



OSO'e? 

ttTf) 



009'9'? 



Napthali 
53,400 





Meeabites 


1 

! 




3,200 


1 






M 




w 






s 




hj 


feo 


COURT OF THE 


w 


O lO 












TABERNACLE. 


i 


CD 








;> 












w 










• 


&! 




09Z'g 






saiinxYOX 








oos'es 

jioaivig 



•og^'iei '^aanaa 50 jkvo— liOisiAia a^ooas— "Hiaos 



GENEKAL AERANGEMENT OP THE CAMP OF THE ISRAELITES IN THE DESEET. 



196. Why toere the varioics ceremonies of ablution insti- 
tuted ? 

Because, apart from tKe sanitary use of water, it was tlie 
most apt and palpable type of that inward purity which was 
essential to both priests and people in their approaches to the 
Divine presence. 

197. The ablutions, though various, mainly consisted washing the whole or 
part of the body before sacrificing or even before entering their houses. Ablutions 
appear to be as old as any ceremonies of which we have any record. Moses 
enjoined them, the heathens adopted them, and Mahomet and his followers have 
continued them. The ancient Christians had their ablutions before communion, 
which the Eoman Catholic Church still retains as a part of the service of the mass. 



40 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 14S9.— The Sacerdotal Tribe. 



The Syrian Copts, etc., have their solemn Avashings on Good Friday, as have also 
the Eussians, etc. 

198. Wliy tvere the Israelites forhidden to eat hlood? 
Because, on account of the sins which they daily committed, 

and which could never be fully expiated by offerings on the 
altar, they owed to God all the blood of the beasts which 
they slaughtered, and were to dedicate it to Him as an atone- 
ment (Levit. xvii. 11 — 14). 

199. Those commentators vrho seek for prudential reasons in the Mosaical 
prohibitions, argue thus : — It was a practice among many of the Pagan nations of 
Asia to drink the blood of the victuns as a part of the sacrificed offerings to their 
idols. It was for this reason, and to draw a line of distinction between them and 
their idolatrous neighbours, that the Jews received this prohibition, and not only the 
Jews, but the stranger within their gates were included in this law. In later times, 
when the pagan Asiatics would force the Christians to apostatize, they commanded 
tliem to drink blood ; in the same way that by the Romans they were commanded 
to burn incense to the idols. 

200. Why toas one tribe set apart for the service of the 
Tahernacle ? 

In order that, being separated from secular affairs and 
living by the Tabernacle, they might give an exclusive and 
undivided attention to it. 

201. The tribe of Levi was selected for this purpose. It had no share in the 
division of the promised land, but was supported in various ways by the whole 

of the people, principally by the tithe or tenth-part offering which was 
mpulsory upon the Hebrews, and formed part of their code. In return the 

Levites had to be about the person 
of the chief priest, to " minister unto 
him," to " do the service of the taber- 
nacle," to "keep all the instruments 
of the same," to erect it, watch it, 
and convey it from place to place. 

202. Why tvere the Israel- 
ites forhidden to eat swine's 
flesh ? 

The reason of this prohi- 
bition may be found not only 
in the filthy habits and ap- 
pearance of the animal, but also in the tendency of its flesh 




COOKING. 

(From the Egyptian Monuments.) 



THE BIBLICAL LEASON WHY. 41 



B.C. 1489.— Institution of Feasts. 



to engender diseases in eastern climates, particularly those 
affecting the skin, as the leprosy. 

203. Swine have very widely been objects of aversion and avoidance. The 
Egyptians, Indians, Phoenicians, Arabians, and others, shrunk from tliem in dishke. 
These nations in all probability copied the prohibition contained in the Jewish law. 
Swine, as prohfic animals, were, on the other hand, offered to Yenus by the pagans. 
Among some of these, swine's flesh was eaten as a part of religious worship. The 
passage, Isaiah Ixv. 3, 4 — " a people, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abomin- 
able things is in their vessels" — is thus explained. 

204. Why toere the tables with the sheto-hread set up in 
the tabernacle and afterwards in the temple ? 

As a memorial of the twelve tribes, which the twelve loaves 
or cakes represented before the presence of Jehovah. ' 

205. The term shew-breadin the Hebrew signifies "bread of the presence," or 
the face. They were made of the finest flour, without leaven, and were with salt 
and frankincense to be offered every week to Jehovah : they lay in two heaps, one 
above the other. The cakes were renewed every Sabbath, when the former were 
removed and eaten by the priests. In cases of necessity others partook of the shew- 
bread, provided they were Levitically clean. The table was of gold. There is a 
representation of this and the loaves upon the arch of Titus at Kome. 

206. TThat ivere the wave-offerings mentioned in Leviticus 
ix. 21? 

They were offerings of the first-fruits, and were intended 
to show that all the blessings of Providence, of whatever kind, 
merited thankfulness on the part of man ? 

207. The term is derived from a Hebrew root which signifies "to lift up." 
They were oblations connected especially with thank-otierings, which before and 
after the slaughter of the victim were moved up and down, as well as to and fro, 
probably in order to show that the sacrifice was made to the Lord of all the four 
parts of, that is, the entire world, to whom thus a solemn homage v/as paid. The 
word wave is used in Exod. xxix. 24, where the Levites are required to be waved 
as a wave-oflfering, the intention being probably indicated by suitable movements o 
the hands. 

208. Why ivas the " Feast of Tabernacles'' instituted ? 
To commemorate the sojourn in the desert, as well as to 

express the gratitude of the Jews towards Jehovah for giving 
them the rich fruits of the earth. 

209. As the passover was the great spring festival, so this was to be the closing 
celebration of the year. It was to commence on the fifteenth day of the seventh 
month (Tisri), and to last seven days the first day, and the follo\ving eighth day 



42 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



B.C. 14S9.— Eebellion of Korah. 



were to be Sabbaths ; seYen days were offerings to be made, " And ye shall taie you 
on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs 
of tliiek trees, and willows of the brook : ye shall dwell in booths seven days, and 
ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God when ye have gathered the fruit of the 
land ; that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell 
in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt." (Lev. xxiii- 40—43.) 

210. What tvere the Nazarites ? 

Tliey were a kind of devotees, or persons who had " vowed 
to the Lord" to perform peculiar devotions, or to abstain from 
certain permitted indulgences, either thereby to obtain some 
particular favour from Heaven, or to pay the penalty for 
some fault. 

211. The law, as stated in Num. vi., is put forth rather as regulating an 
established than as iiistituting a new thing. In verse 2 of this chapter we read, 
"When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow the vow of a 

Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord; he shall " and so forth. The 

word ISTazarite is formed from nazar, " to separate," and means " the separated 
one." The term means also to distinguish one's self by a wonderful thing. There 
were Nazarites for life, like Samson and St. John the Baptist, and others for a 
limited time, like St. Pavd. Their abstinence from wine, etc., lasted generally for a 
month, and was to be performed at Jerusalem. 

212. Why were the seventy JElders appointed ? 

Because the people having come to Taberah, where their 
murmurings were punished by fire from heaven, and continuing 
their complaints against Moses, he besought the Lord to 
relieve him of the burthen of their management, or to appoint 
him some associates in the government of Israel. 

213. This appointing of the seventy elders was the first institution of the coxmcil 
or senate called the Sanhedrim. We read in Eiod. xxiv. 9, of seventy elders who 
were with Moses in the mount, and who are again spoken of as "nobles of Israel." 
The present institution, therefore, consisted probably in nothing more than giving 
new authorities and powers to a body already existing. 

214. Why did Korah, Nathan, and Ahiram rebel against 
Hoses ? 

Because they were jealous of the extraordinary powers with 
which God had invested his servant. 

215. The Sabbath-breaker had just been stoned to death. Xorah and his com- 
panions appear to have seized upon this circumstance as one likely to excite murmurs 
Bmong the people on account of its severity, and probably reckoned upon receiving 
the adhesion of a majority, or at least of a sufficiently strong party from the con- 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 43 

B.C. 1471.— The Brazen Serpent. 

gregation to their side. The event did not answer their expectations. Besides the 
leaders and their famihes, only the two hundred and fifty, who had joined themselves 
with them, at first arrayed themselves against the constituted authority. Their 
refusal to attend the citation of Moses, their insulting accusations, and their 
awful punishment follow close upon each other, and are narrated in Num. xvi. 

216. Why did Aaron s rod hurst into blossom ? 

As a testimony that lie and his family of all the people of 
Israel had been chosen for the exclusive office of the 
priesthood. 

217. After the fearful punishment of Korah and his companions, the people 
continuing to murmur as before, a plague was sent amongst them which cut oiT 
fourteen thousand seven hundred souls. Moses was then directed to demand from 
the heads of the eleven tribes a rod each, -with the name of the tribe written upon it, 
Aaron's rod, with his name upon it, representing the tribe of Levi. The twelve rods 
were then laid up in the tabernacle of the testimony. " On the morrow," in the words 
of the Scripture narrative, "Moses went into the tabernacle of witness ; and, behold, 
the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, had budded, and brought forth buds, and 
bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." 

This miracle appears at length to have convinced the Israelites of the unalterable 
choice which God had made in favour of Aaron and his family, if it did not silence 
their murmurings. 

218. Why was Moses forbidden to enter into the promised 
land ? 

Because at Meribah he sinned against God in neglecting to 
sanctify Him before the congregation, \Thom in his impatience 
he called rebels, and, contrary to God's command, struck the 
rock twice instead of speaking to it. 

219. It would appear that having been admitted to an extraordinary familiarity 
with God, a very great degree of perfection was required of Moses in return. But 
if, says an old writer, God had not found fault with his servant on this occasion, we 
could scarcely have found any reason to condemn h im . 

220. Why was the brazen serpent set up in the wilderness ? 
Because the people, murmuring on account of the difficulties 

of their passage through the wilderness, were plagued with fiery 
serpents whereof many died. Upon their repentance God 
commanded that a brazen serpent should be made and set 
upon a pole that as many as looked upon it might live. 

221. The obvious typical meaning of this, as applied to the sufferings of Christ, is 
referred to in John iii. 14, " And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the son of man be lifted up." 



44 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



E.G. 1451.— Death of 3Ioses. 

222. Why diet the Israelites nozo hegin to take jpossesslon 
of the land of Canaan ? 

Because all those who had mutinied against God at Kadesh- 
barnea being dead, against whom " He swore in his wrath, that 
they should not enter into his rest," there remained no obstacle 
to the accomplishment of the promise. 

223. Accordingly the Israelites passed over Zared and came to the borders of 
Moab at Ar, and at length arrived at Bamoth, a valley in the country of the 
Moabites, and pitched at Mount Pisgah. Their wars with the inhabitants now 
commenced. Sihon, king of the Amorites, refusing them a passage, is attacked and 
slain, and his country taken possession of. Og, king of Basan, coming out against 
Israel is destroyed with all his army and his country possessed. After these victories 
the Israehtes set forward and encamp in the plains of Moab. 

224. Why was Balaam <ie7it for hy Balah Icing of Moah 1 
Because being in dread of the Israelites he imagined that 

Balaam, as a soothsayer of great repute, had power by his 
enchantments to paralyze their movements and stop their 
progress towards. the land of their inheritance. 

225. Why ivas the name of Balaam, ^oho did not curse hut 
bless the people of Israel, held in such detestation ? 

Because, although withheld by the hand of God from cursing 
the people, he showed no unwillingness to do so ; and afterwards 
save such advice to Balak as led to the ruin of many of the 
Israelites, and became a perpetual stumbling-block to them. 

226. By his advice the women of Moab and Midian are used by Balak to turn 
the people to idolatry. A disorder ensues ; whereupon God commands Moses to 
take all the ringleaders and to hang them. Then a plague is sent, of which 23,000 
men die in one day. 

227. Why did Moses, before his death, command the ''stones 
of memorial" to be set ujp in the midst of Jordan 1 

That the people might have a continual reminder of their 
covenant with God when in possession of the promised land. 

228. This was nearly the last act of Moses. He shortly afterwards, by command 
of God, ascends Moimt Nebo and dies. 

229. Why toas the burial-place of Moses concealed from 
human knowledge? 

Because, most probably, the great merits and fame of the 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 45 



B.C. 1451. — Accession of Joshua, 



Hebrew leader and lawgiver would have led tlie surrounding 
nations to elevate liim into a deity, and to establish an idolatrous 
temple over his tomb. 

230. Judging from analogy, there was danger that the Jews themselves would in 
time come to pay divine honours to their great lawgiver. Some Jewish writers have 
held that Moses did not die, but was snatched away in a cloud like Enoch, and 
afterwards Elijah; but the sacred text directly says "he died," and that God 
himself buried him in the valley. Whether this burial was by the hands of angels, 
or in some other mysterious manner, matters very Httle. 

231. Why had Hoses no successor, strictly speaking 1 
Because according to tiie original constitution of the Hebrew 

nation God himself was their ruler, the people his subjects, and 
Moses the mediator, or internuncio between them. Put the 
title most appropriate to Moses, and most descriptive of the 
part he had to sustain, was that of legislator of the Israelites and 
their deliverer from the Egyptians. When the Israelites were 
no longer oppressed with Egyptian bondage, and those laws 
were already introduced which were immediately necessary for 
the well-being of the people, his functions ceased. 

233. It was also on this account, viz., that the employments in which he was 
especially engaged were of a pecuHar nature, and having been accomphshed wliile 
he was living, ceased when he was dead, that the council of seventy elders, who were 
assigned htm to assist in the discharge of his oppressive duties, no longer had an 
existence after his decease. 



CHAPTEE III. 

THE BOOKS OF JOSHUA, JUDGES, AIn^D EUTH. 

233. Why tvas the book of Joshua, so called? 

Because it contains the history of what passed under the 
leadership of Joshua, and was written by him. 

234. The name of Joshua is equivalent to the Greek, Latin, and English name of 
Jesios, signifying a Saviour, or " the Lord saves." This great leader was formerly named 
Osea, or Hoshea, "saving." This appellation was changed by Moses (ISTum. xiii.) 
to Joshua, as prophetical and significant of the office he was to undertake in saving 
the people, or leading them from the desert into the promifrfd land. That Joshua 



46 THE BIBLICAL 3EAS0N AVHT. 

E.G. 1450. — Passage of the Jordan, 

was a type of Christ is manifest. The history of the book of Joshua sets before us 
the passage of the Jordan, the conquest of Canaan, and the distribution of the 
country. The length of time embraced therein is about fourteen years, 

235. Wliy is the JRiver Jordan so called ? 

Because it is a very rapid river, the word Jordan being 
derived from jord, or irod, " it flows," or " comes down." 

236. Why did Itahah the harlot harbour the spies sent hy 
Joshua ? 

Because, by Divine illumination, sbe knew them to be the 
messengers of the people to whom God had allotted the whole 
country. 

237. St. Paul, in Heb. xi. 31, says : " Thi-ough faith the harlot Eahab perished 
not \rith them that beHeved not, when she had received the spies in peace." The 
term used here for harlot may also mean innteeper; but whatever she might have 
been at the time of these occurrences, she was probably awakened to a new life by 
the account of the miracles which God had wrought in favour of his people. 

238. Wliy were the waters of the Jordan divided for them 
as the Israelites passed over Jordan? 

Because, in addition to the dry passage thus miraculously 
afforded them, they might be reminded of the passage over 
the Ked Sea after their deliverance from Egypt. 

239. WJiy did the Israelites pass the Jordan on the tenth 
day of the first month ? 

Because that day being the beginning of the passover, or the 
day when the paschal-lamb — which was to be eaten on the 
fourteenth day — was to be selected from the flock, the occasion 
might suggest to them their ultimate passage from the old to 
the new dispensation through the Messiah, the Lamb of God. 

240. Why did the manna cease to fall upon the day after 
the completion of the passover ? 

Because the Israelites had now reached the promised land, 
whose natural supplies were abundant, and they no longer 
needed the supernaturally-provided food. 

241. As a proof of this abundance the text. Josh. v. ii., says : "And they did 
eat of the old corn of the land on the moirow after the passover, unleavened cakes, 
and parched corn in the self-same day." That is, there was such a plenty, that 
they had three sorts of corn to choose from. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 47 
e»« «> — — — — — — . 

B.C. 1150. — Joshua Commands the Sun to Stand Still. 

242. W%^ did an angelic messenger appear at this juncture 
to Joshua? 

To assure him of victory over tlie enemies of God and his 
people. 

243. Wliy did the walls of Jericho fall do-wn when the ark 
of the Lord tvas carried in a solemn procession around them ? 

Because it was the design of God to show the nations that 
the Israelites fought by his direction, and conquered by his 
blessing, rather than by their own prowess. 

244. W7iy did the Israelites retreat before Ai ? 

Because Achan, a man of the tribe of Judah, had sacri- 
legiously hidden some portion of the spoils which God had 
commanded to be destroyed. 

245. The cupidity of this man, who, for a paltry personal end, had brought 
defeat and disgrace upon the whole people, Avas soon detected and punished. Being 
discovered by means of lots cast, he and his family with their cattle were stoned 
to death, their goods burned, and a heap set up over their remains as a memorial 
of reproach. 

246. Why ivere the Giheonites exempted from the general 
extirpation of the Canaanitish tribes ? 

Because, having by a stratagem induced Joshua to spare 
them, the oath which he swore to them to preserve them was 
allowed to be respected. 

247. But the Gibeonites, who had represented themselves through their depu- 
tation as strangers living at a great distance, and so deceived the Jewish leader, 
upon the people's murmurs, were subjected to the performance of the most menial 
offices, and remained among the Jews for many ages, " mere hewers of wood and 
drawers of water." 

248. Why did Joshua command the sun to stand still? 
That the confederate kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, 

Lachish, and Eglon, might not escape ucder cover of night, and 
so prolong a contest which he was anxious to conclude. 

249. These kings, having heard that the Gibeonites had made peace with Joshua, 
banded together and laid siege to their city ; but Joshua attacked them, raised the 
siege and routed them, chasing their army as far as Azekah. The Lord assisted 
his people by means of a terrific storm, which broke over the heads of the retreating 
hordes, killing more thereby than by the swords of Israelites. Utterly defeated, the 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



B.C. 1445. — Judges Instituted. 

five kings hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah : from thence they were brought 
out and hanged. The command, "Sun, stand thou still," etc., was used in 
accommodation to the astronomical opinions that then prevailed. 

250. What teas the object of the observance of the Sabbatical 
year which dated from this time? 

It was a charitable provision for the poor, as explained by 
the passage in Exod. xxiii. 10, 11: "And six years thou 
shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather the fruits thereof. But 
the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and be still: that the 
poor of thy people may eat : and what they leave the beasts of 
the field shall eat. In like manner shalt thou deal with thy 
vineyard and with thy oliveyard." 

251. Why was Joshua now directed to divide all the land 
on the loest of Jordan among the nine tribes and a half as 
yet unprovided for ? 

Because, growing old, it was desirable that this should be 
done, lest his death might leave the affair unfinished, and 
raise a cause of dispute. 

252. Why tvas the book of Judges so called ? 

Because it contains the history of what passed under the 
government of the Judges who ruled Israel before they had 
kings. 

253. The writer of it, according to the more general opinion, was the prophet 
Samuel. Some are of opinion that the Judges might have each left records of 
their respective administrations, wliich might have been put in order by Samuel. 
These Judges were fifteen in nuinber, and their presidency over Israel extended 
from the death of Joshua to the accession of Saul, a period of 450 years. Their 
office is not exactly similar in aU cases, the word judges not quite expressing tlie 
kind of leadership exercised by aU of them. They were exceptional rather than 
regular rulers, and were severally adajjted to the occasions which called them 
forth. 

254. Why tvas the book of Judges written ? 

The author's intention is to show how,, after the death of 
Joshua and until the settlement of the kingdom under Saul 
and his successors, the people, occasionally governed by judges, 
experienced various reverses, and encountered a variety of 
fortunes. 

235. The moral purpose is to exhibit the people in their repeated falls and 
restorations — to proclaim the. inevitable consequence of their proneness to idolatry, 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 49 

B.C. 1285.— Deboraii— Gideon. 

the punishment that quickly followed their sin, and the ever recurring mercy that 
awaited their repentance. 

256. Why did the leadersof Israel cut off the thumbs and great 
toes of the Icing Adoni-hezelc ? 

Because of his cruelty to otiiers, he having previously, 
according to his own confession, cut off the toes and thumbs of 
seventy kings or chiefs, whom he made to minister about 
his table. 



257. The chapters following this account are occupied with a nE»rration of the 
acts of a generation of men which forgot God, and mingled themselves with the 
Canaauites by marriage and the worship of their idols. The Israehtish history, 
until the judgeship of Eli, may be thus ej)itomized : 

By the idolatry of Micah and the children of Dan, and the sin of the Benjamites, 
God, being greatly displeased, raised up against them Cushan, king of Mesopo- 
tamia, who conquers them and holds them in bondage eight years. To dehver them, 
Othniel, the son of Kenaz and son-in-law to Joshua, is sent as a judge and an 
avenger. He defeats Cushan, dehvers the Israelites, and restores a peace which 
lasts forty years. 

After Othniel, the people again relapsing, are given over into the hands of 
Eglon, king of Moab, who, joining with the Ammonites and the Amaleldtes, over- 
throws the IsraeMtes, and takes Jericho. Under this oppression they suffer eighteen 
years. 

Another deliverer is now found in Ehud, the son of Gera, who kills Eglon, 
routs his army, and establishes a peace for Israel of forty years more. After Ehud, 
for their sins the people are given up to the power of Jabin, king of Canaan, under 
whom they groan for twenty years, 

Deborah the wife of Lapidoth, a prophetess, now guides Israel. Conjointly 
with her, Barak, of the tribe of Naphtah, a valiant captain, rise against and defea* 
the forces of Jabin, whose heutenant, Sisera, fleeing for his life, is killed by Jael' 
the wife of Heber the Kenite. The land thereupon rests for another forty j'ears. 

A lapse into idolatry, and a thraldom of seven years follow. They cry to God 
for help, and are reproved by a prophet. Then Gideon, the son of Joash o^ 
Manasseh, is by an angel of God sent to deliver them. Eejecting the assistance 
of a great army, he takes with him against the vast host of the Midianites only 
300 men. Being miraculously assisted, he defeats them, and slays their two Idngs ; 
after which great victories the Israehtes offer to settle the kingdom upon hiin 
and his posterity ; he refuses, but accepts a present of gold, which he makes into 
an ephod. This proves an occasion of idolatry to the fickle Jews. The land 
enjoys rest for forty years. Gideon dies, and the people again relapse. Abunelech, 
a son of Gideon, aims at the power declined by his father, and after various 
cruelties (recorded in Judges ix.), succeeded in making himself a sort of king. 
After a turbulent reign of three years he kills himself, and Tola, the son of Puah, 
judges Israel twenty- three years. After lum Jair the GUcadite succeeds, and 
1,-ules twenty -two vears, 

4 



50 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



B.C. 1155. — JudgesMp of Samson. 

Eelapsiag again into idolatiy, the Philistines and Ammonites are brDught 
upon them, and the Israelites are held in a thraldom of eighteen years. Upon 
their repentance they obtain mercy, and Jephthah the Gileadite is raised to succour 
them; he subdues their enemies, and makes a rash vow, to offer up in sacrifice 
to God the first thing that meets him as he returns to his home. His daughter 
is this first thing, and he " did with her according to the vow which he had vowed," 
He judges Israel seven years, and is succeeded by Ibzan the Bethlemite, who again, 
after seven years, is succeeded by Elon the Zebulonite, who judges the people 
ten years. The immediate predecessor of Eli the high priest is Abdon the 
Ephraimite, who rules eight years. 

258. Whj^ was Samson raised ujp as a judge 1 

Becaui^e the circumstances of the people required a leader 
of his peculiar character. 

259. The Israelites, under the presidency of Eh the high priest, had, for their 
treasons against God, been suffered to fall under the power of the PhilLstines. 
This sixth thraldom began seven months after Eli's entering upon the government, 
and continued forty years, that is, until seven months after his death, when the 
ark, captured by them, was brought back again. 

Samson was the son of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, and born a.m. 2848. 
His mother had been long barren, but an angel appearing to her assured her 
of her acceptance Avith God ; of the bu*th of a son ; bade her prepare herself 
by abstinence for the event; directed that the child should be dedicated to 
God from his birth, as a Nazarite, u]pon tvhose head no razor was to come. 
According to the prophecy of the angel, he was born on the following year, and 
his election to great achievements began to show itself by the acts of preternatural 
strength which he performed; as, for instance, the slaying of a young lion at 
Tinmath without any other weapons than his hands. 

260. Why did Samson marry a Philistine tooman ? 
Because moved to do so by Divine Providence, as one of 

the means towards the deliverance of Israel. 

261. The Jews say that this woman was a convert to the true faith, in which 
case there would be no difficulty in his marrying her, as afterwards Salmon, the 
father of Booz, did Kachab. (See Matt. i. 5.) But we are put in possession of the 
real motive of Samson's choice by the passage (Judges, xiv. 4), "But his^father 
and mother knew not that it was of the Lord that he sought an occasion against 
the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel." 

262. Why did Samson propose a riddle to the Philistines? 
Because, knowing beforehand that they would neither guess 

its meaning nor yield the forfeit agreed upon, he would have 
a just occasion to make a breach with the Philistines. 

263. Such obscure and ingenious questions were much hked in the East. In 
I Kingg x. 1., we have an instance where the Queen of Sheba, hearing of the fani3 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 61 



B.C. 1636.— Judgesliip of Samson. 



of king Solomon concerning the name of tlie Lord, came to "prove liimATith hard 
questions." The Egyptians concealed the mysteries of their religion, and Pitha- 
goras his choicest maxims, under them. The Greeks proposed them at feasts, 
determining some reward or punishment to those who succeeded or failed to 
explain them. The Phihstines took a method of their own for discovering the clue 
to the proposed riddle. Coming to Samson's wife, they said, "Entice thy husband 
that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house 
with fire." Thus threatened, she soon extracts the secret from him, and imparts 
it to the Philistines. The anger of Samson, and the punishment he inflicts upon 
the foes of Israel, immediately follow. "The Spirit of the Lord came upon him» 
and he went down to Askelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their 
spoiU" 

264. Why did Samson set fire to the Philistines' corn ? 
Because, going dov^^n to visit his wife about tlie harvest 

time he found that she had been given in marriage by them 
to another man. 

265. He accordingly catches 300 foxes, and tying firebrands to their tails, turns 
them all into the cornfields, \-ineyards, and ohve-gardens of his enemies, and sets 
them in a blaze. The Philistines thereupon take Samson's wife and father-in-law, 
and burn them. Samson, in return, slays a great nmltitude of them, and sits down 
upon the rock Etam. 

266. Why did three thousand of the Jeios deliver Samson 
into the hands of the Philistines ? 

Because, as in the case of Moses in Egypt, they were 
less anxious to be delivered from the slavery of their enemies, 
than to be enfranchized by a prophet of God. 

267. The event, however, proved of no advantage to Samson's enemies. 
Strengthened by Divine Providence, he rises ui his might, and with a paltry weapon 
— the jawbone of an ass — slays a thousand Philistines. God's warrant for this act 
was plainly enough manifested in the miracle that followed. Being " sore athirst," 
and finding no ready means of refreshment, he calls upon the Lord, who answers him 
by causing a hollow place to appear in the jawbone, with which he had pursued hia 
enemies, out of which water came ; and when he had drank thereof his spii'it came 
again, and he revived. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty 
years. 

268. Wliy did Samson carry aioay the gates of Gaza ? 
Because, being in that city, the Philistines endeavoured to 

make him their captive ; which he thus prevented, carrying off 
the doors of the gate, and the two posts. 

269. It was now that Eli presided over Israel. A general depravity had fallen 
upon the whole people. Samson also was a sharer in this forgetfulness of God and 



•'iS THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

B.C. 1117.— Death of Samson. 

liis laws. He appears to have gone up and down doing liis own wiU and pleasure, 
not indeed forfeiting his claim to the office of a leader and a judge of Israel, but 
yet staining his character with vices, and associating with the open doers of evil. 
No sooner is he freed from the toils of the Philistines at Gaza, than he forms an 
illicit connection with a woman in the valley of Sorek. Dehlah, the woman in question, 
was a mere tool of the Philistines. In his foUy and bhnd attachment to her he loses 
his hberty, and, by revealing to her the secret of his strength, he precipitates the 
catastrophe which ends his hfe. 

270. Wliat tvere the circumstances of Samson s death ? 
Having been captured by the Philistines and deprived of his 

eye-sight, he was made to grind in a mill, as a sort of retributive 
jest upon his great strength. Finally, being about to celebrate 
a great feast, in honour of their idol Dagon, they sent for 
Samson, to make them sport. 

271. His particular mission, as a scourge to the Philistines, has now another 
opportunity to show itself. His hair, the seat of Ms strength, has gro-mi again. 
He feels his powers renewed. By the Divine permission he contemplates a catas- 
trophe, which, if it envelopes the principal actor, wiU, at least, send confusion and 
destruction among his enemies. He asks to be led to the two main pillars that 
support the corner of the house in which the princes of the Philistines and a vast 
multitude of their people are assembled j then, with one last eflfort and a fervent 
prayer to the God of Israel, he grasps the pillars. They give way — the house 
falls, and Samson "lolls more men at his death than he had done in aU his lifetime 
besides." 

272. Why is the hooTc of Ruth so called ? 

From the name of the ancestress of David, whose history 
is therein recorded. 

273. Boaz, whom Euth married, was great-grandfather to David. Euth had 
been a Gentile, but was converted to the true faith. 

274. Why is the book of Ruth, being the record of but one 
family as it tvere, placed thus prominently in the Bible ? 

Because, by marrying Boaz, E/Uth became a progenitor 
of Jesus Christ, who, according to the flesh, sprung from the 
family of David. 

275. Who was the author of the booh of Ruth ? 

The majority of commentators attribute its authorship to 
the prophet Samuel. 

276. The history contained in the Book of Euth will not be intelligible unless the 
law mentioned in Deut. xxv. 5, and in Matt. xxii. 24, be remembered. By this 
law it was provided, that if a man died, having no son, his brother was directed to 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 53 



B.C. 1116.— History of Euth. 

marry his widow, and raise up issue to liim. Euth, as the childless widow of Mahlon, 
was justified, according to the Je^vish law, in seeking to supply the place of her 
deceased spouse, by a marriage with his nearest of kin. Following the instructions 
of her mother-in-law, Naomi, she places herself in the path of Boaz. That she 
does this from a good and virtuous motive is declared by the sacred writer in these 
words (Euth iii. 10) — " Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter ; for thou 
hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the begianing, inasmuch as 
thou foUowedst not young men, whether poor or rich." 

The history contained in the book is as foUows : — A certain man of the tribe of 
Judah, and of the city of Bethlehem, named EHmelech, on account of the famine 
which prevailed at that time — it was during the judgeship of Gideon — ^in his own 
land, emigrated to the country of Moab; he, his wife Naomi, and his two sons, 
Mahlon and Chilion. After a time Ehmelech died, and his two sons, having 
taken wives from among the Moabites, died also. Naomi, the widow — ^plenty and 
peace being restored to her native land — sets out to return to it. Her widowed 
daughters-in-law proceed with her to the frontier ; one of them parts from her ; the 
other will not, but casting in her lot with that of Naomi, Euth bids adieu to Moab 
and its gods. They return to Bethlehem, where, in the extremity of poverty, Euth 
goes to glean after the reapers in the harvest-field of Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of her 
deceased father-in-law, Elimelech. 

Attracted by her appearance, and informed of her exemplary conduct towards 
her mother-in-law, Boaz dii-eets his servants to shew her every favour. Thus 
encouraged, Naomi counsels Euth how to behave, instructing her in the Jewish 
law of inheritance, and putting her in the way of claiming its provisions from Boaz. 
The sequel shows %vith what success. Boaz recognizes her claim, and espouses her, 
"in order to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritence." 

From this union sprang David, the illustrious King of Israel, whose line the 
writer traces up, in conclusion, thi-ough Boaz, to Pharez, son of Judah. 



CHAPTEE IV. 

THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL AND KINGS. 

277. Why were the hoohs of Samuel so called ? 
Because principally consisting of the acts of that prophet 

previous to the institution of the Jewish monarchy, and as 
partly written by him. 

278. The portions of these books not written by Samuel are believed to have 
been written by Nathan and Gad, according to 1 Chron. xxix. 19 — "Now the acts of 
David the king, first and last, behold they are written in the book of Samuel the 
seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer." 

The books contain the history of Samuel's administration as judge, and of the 
regal government introduced by his mediation and established in the house of David. 
This history consists of three parts : 1. The account of Samuel's eaU by God — ^hia 



54 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 1116.— CaU of Samuel. 



education and administration as prophet and judge over Israel. 2. The history 
of Saul's government and the early history of David, whom Samuel prospectively 
anoints king. 3. The account of David's government, with which the second 
book is entirely occupied. 

The time comprehended in the history of the two books of Samuel covers a 
space of about 120 years, reckoning from the birth of Samuel to near the end of 
David's reign. 

279. Why teas Samuel called of God? 

Because he was destined to be the successor ©f Eli and the 
precursor of the monarchy of Saul and David. 

280. What is the meaning of the word Samuel ? 

Ifc means "heard of God," and was bestowed upon the 
prophet because he was a child given in answer to prayer? 

281. The mother of Samuel, although greatly beloved by her husband," remained 
childless. She begged earnestly and long to have this reproach removed from her. 
In her earnestness and agony of supphcation before the altar of God, when she 
prayed mth her hps although her tongue articulated no words, she was misunderstood 
by Eli, who accused her of being inebriated ; but upon further examination the high 
priest blessed her, and dismissed her with the hope of a son. Samuel was in due 
time born, and, in consequence of the mother's vow, set apart for the service of 
God, under the tutelage of Eli. 

282. Why was Samuel entrusted with the Divine message 
in preference to JEll ? 

Because the favour of Grod had been withdrawn frem the 
high priest, on account of the vrickedncss of his sons Hophni 
and Phineas, whom he had failed to correct. 

283. These sons of EH, although the properly appointed guardians of the faith and 
morals of the people, were, on the contrary, a terrible stumbhng-block in their way. 
Through their extortions and impiety, " men" had learned " to abhor the oifering of 
the Lord," and his wrath was kindled against the sacerdotal transgressors. When 
the Phihstines invaded the land, the superstitious Israelites, imagining that the 
presence of the ark of the Lord, notwithstanding their criminahties, would act as a 
shield between them and their foes, sent to Shiloh where it rested, to have it brought 
into the camp and into the field of battle. Hophni and Phineas, as guardians of the 
ark, accompanied it, and when it was captured by the Phihstines, fell beside it in the 
indiscriminate slaughter that ensued. 

284. What was the immediate cause of Eli's death ? 
Hearing of the defeat of the Israelites, and that the ark of 

God was taken, and knowing that very many of the evils of the 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 55 



B.C. 1096.— The Ark takeu by tlie Philistines. 

Dation liad been caused by liis own negligence, lie fainted and 
fell from his seat, and with the shock broke his neck. 

285. The ark, which had been captured by the Philistines, soon vindieated its 
majesty. Being brought into the temple of Dagon, they set it up in front of that god. 
But the idols being — according to the apostle — ^but devils, not able to stand before the 
ark, flung themselves to the earth and were broken, " And when they arose early on 
the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground, and the head 
of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold, only the 
stump of Dagon was left to him." Upon this the inliabitants of Ashdod, being 
sorely plagued, send the ark to Gath. From Gath it is sent to Ekron. But the same 
plagues and judgments following wherever it rests, after seven months, by the ad\-ice 
of their priests, they send the ark home again with presents and gifts into the land of 
the Israelites, and it is brought to Beth-shemesh. From thence it is carried to the 
house of Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim, who sanctifies his son Eleazar to keep it. 

280. W/i^ loas the arh alloioed to rest at Kirjathjearim 
instead of at SJiiloli, its appointed place ? 

Because of the fearful punishment T\-hich fell upon the 
inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, fifty thousand of Avhom were 
smitten for irreverently looking into it. 

287. The ark accordingly remained at Kii^ath-jearun for twenty years, during 
which time the prophet Samuel remained in retirement, and the whole house of 
Israel became humbled before the Lord. 

288. Why did the children of Israel desire a Icing ? 
Because of the ill government of the sons of Samuel, who 

walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took 
bribes and perverted judgment. 

289. Why was Samuel displeased with their request ? 
Because he considered it a declension from the high dignit}^ 

which Israel had hitherto enjoyed as a people governed in an 
almost direct manner by the Divine presence. 

290. The seventh verse of the eighth chapter makes this clear in these words : — 
" And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people in all that 
they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me 
that I should not reign over them. 

291. Why was Saul, loho zvas a had man, selected as the 
first king of Israel ? 

That the people might have a foretaste of the kind of 
government they had preferred. 



66 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



E.G. 1093.— Books of Samuel. 



292. The request for a king being an act of contempt towards the theocracy 
estabhshed by the Divine direction, the character of Saul furnished their appropriate 
punishment. They desire to be led by a king, "like all the nations," and a king of 
the required pattern is given them. He is fierce, impatient, and headstrong, given 
over to the gratification of his own will, a tyrant, a consulter of soothsayers, and a 
demoniac. Having alienated the kingdom from himself, and seen it given during 
his lifetime to another, he perishes by his own hand upon the field of battle, and 
his rival reigns in his stead. 

293. JV/iat loas SauVs first transgression ? 

An intrusion into the priestly office by ordering sacrifices to 
be offered, which it was the duty of Samuel to do. 

294. Whether Saul offered sacrifice himself or only set the priests to do so, is 
immaterial. It was his act of impatience and interference with the office of the 
prophet which offended God. 

295. Why ivere the Israelites at this time so powerless before 
the Philistines ? 

Because, 1, the blessing of God was not with them, nor with 
Saul ; 2, because the policy of the Philistines, in suffering no 
smith to be in Israel, had deprived them of their principal 
weapons of war. 

296. The text (1 Sam. xiii. 19) says : " Now there was no smith found thi-oughoi\t 
all the land of Israel ; for the Philistines said, lest the Hebrews make them swords 
and spears. But aU the Israehtes went down to the Philistines to sharpen every 

man his share and his coulter, and his axe and his mattock So that it 

came to pass in the day of battle that there was neither sword nor spear found in 
the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan : but with Saul 
and Jonathan his son were they found." 

297. What was Saul's second transgression ? 

Having been commanded to smite the Amalekites, and to 
extirpate them without reserve, he listened to the voice of the 
people and of his own cupidity by sparing a portion. 

298. This stubbornness in persisting to rebel against the directions of Jehovah 
was now visited by that final rejection of his family from succeeding him on the 
throne, which had before been threatened; and which was now mystically repre- 
sented by the rending of the prophet's mantle. After this second and flagrant 
disobedience, Saul received no more pubhc recognition from Samuel, who now left 
him to his sins and his punislunent, "nevertheless he continued to mourn 
for Saul," 

299. Wh2/ did Samuel mourn for Saul? 

Because he hoped that his grief might move God to 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON AVHY. 57 



B.C. 1063.— Saul and David. 



reverse his sentence against him and .to restore him to bis 
favour. 

300. Wh^ did Samuel pt^oceed secretly to Bethlehem lohen 
he icent to anoint David as the successes' of Saul? 

Because Saul had spread the belief that Samuel Tvas his 
enemy ; in consequence of which the elders of the people were 
afraid to entertain the prophet. 

301. Why loas an evil spirit from ihe Lord said to have 
troubled Saul? 

Because, being rejected by God and given up to his own evil 
will, he naturally became the prey of the tempter of mankind, 
who was permitted to have power over him, in a manner 
more or less complete. 

302. Some commentators say this was a real demoniacal possession, others that 
it was the mere result of an rndiiJgence of obstinacy in the mind ; for acting upon 
the character of man, earth contains not a more evil spirit than the guilty or 
troubled mind abandoned to its own impulses. 

303. Why did David fight with Goliah?' 

Because the Spirit of the Lord being upon him (1, Sam. 
xvi. 13), he knew that he was destined to overthrow the 
giant, and deliver Israel. 

304. After his attendance upon Saul, David returned home to Bethlehem. 
But the Philistines being gathered together against Israel at Shochoh, and the 
armies being assembled to repel their attack, the providence of God so orders 
it that David, leaving his occupation as a shepherd, should visit the field of battle. 
He is sent by Jesse, his father, with a message to his brothers, and thus hears of 
the state of alTairs, and of the impious challenge of Gohah. Conscious of the 
Divine protection, he offers himself as a combatant with the gigantic foe of God's 
people. He refuses the aid of Saul's armour and weapons : takes his staff in his 
hand, and five smooth stones out of the brook, "and put them in a shepherd's bag 
which he had, even in a scrip ; and his shng was in his hand, and he drew near 
to the Philistine." David's challenge and conquest of Gohah may be readin ISam. 
xvii. 41 to the end. 

305. Why toas SauVs jealousy first excited against David? 
Because, in returning from the conquest of the Philistines, 

"the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and 

dancing And they played, and said, Saul hath slain 

his thousands, and David his ten thousands." 
4* 



58 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



B.C. 1060. — Friendship of Jonathan and David. 

306. Saul hated David from that day forward. Though not acquainted with 
the anointing by Samuel, yet having received intimation that the kingdom should 
be given to another, he soon susi^ected from his aecomphshments, heroism, wisdom, 
and popularity, that David was his destined successor ; and instead of concluding 
that his resistance to the Divine purpose would only accelerate his own ruin, Saul, 
in the spirit of rage and jealousy, commenced a series of miu'derous attempts on the 
hfe of his rival. He first darts a javelin at David as he is playing upon his harp 
before him. He sends him upon the most dangerous expeditions. He seeks to 
embroil him with his chieftains by first giving David his daughter in marriage, and 
then presenting her to Adriel the Meholathite. He then sends murderers to 
assassinate David in his own house, from which danger he only escapes by the 
contrivance of Michal, his wife, who places an image in the bed, and lets her 
husband down through a window. 

307. Why teas David brought to SauVs 'presence? 
Because his skill in music was made available to the cure or 

mitigation of the king's malady. 

308. There can be np doubt that as the disease of Saul was partly supernatural 
in its cause, so the power of David's harp and voice was supernatural also. But 
the real reason why David should be introduced to court was, that he might get 
an insight into the method and etiquette of govermnent, of which, as a keeper 
of sheep, he could have no opportunities. 

309. Wliy ivas Jonathan, lohom the succession of David 
would necessarily su^jplant, so friendly to him ? 

Because, from a similarity of disposition, the son of Saul 
delighted much in David; and it is probable that by Divine 
illumination he had been informed of his high destiny, and 
acquiesced in it. 

310. The fraternal love of Jonathan for David, as described in Sam. xx., forms 
the most beautiful and most afiecting portion of the books of Samuel. 

Jonathan knew well what was to happen (says a popular conamentator) , and he 
submitted cheerfully to the appointment which gave the throne of his father to the 
young shepherd of Betlilehem. In the intensity of his love and confidence, he 
shrank not to think of David as his destined king and master ; and his dreams of the 
future pictured nothing brighter than the day in which David should reign over 
Israel. 

311. Why did David flee to AchisJi, the Jcing of Gath? 
Because Saul was seeking his life, and he felt insecure 

within the realm of Israel. 

312. Why did David feign madness while with Achish ? 
Because he considered that his presence would be less 

noticed or feared, by assuming the character of one deranged- 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 59 



B.C. 1055.— The Witcli of Endor. 

313. The vengeance of Saul upon any who might conceal or comfort David, was 
soon manifested. The high priest, Ahimelech, at Nob, had given him bread, and 
the sword of Goliah. No sooner does Saul hear of this, than he sends for and orders 
the massacre of Ahimelech, and eighty-four other priests, besides a great number 
of the inhabitants of Nob. 

314. Wliy did David spare Saul volien he had his life 
ivithin /lis power ? 

Because he wislied to prove to tlie king that he had no 
personal quarrel with him, and was acting only as the instru- 
ment of Divine Providence. 

315. Saul, with three thousand men — chosen out of all Israel — was seeking the 
hfe of David, and had hemmed him in, as he thought, at the caves of Engedi. It 
was during a bivouac of Saul's troops that the incident occurred related in 
1 Sam. xxiv. Saul had retired to a shelter to seek rest. Within this very cleft was 
David, Ins supposed enemy. Emerging silently, David succeeds in cutting off the 
sliirt of Saul's robe, but cautions his people not to touch the king. Da-^dd with- 
draws his men, and Saul is allowed to depart, "When at a short distance, David and 
his men make their appearance, and demonstrate to Saul how easily his life might 
have been taken, had it been David's purpose to do so. Saul is struck with a 
momentary contrition, and makes a covenant with David in favour of his sons 
and descendants, 

316. Wh;i/ did David again sjpare the life of Saul, ivhen the 
latter had again set out ivith an army to destroy him ? 

Because he considered that Saul, as the anointed king of^ 
Israel, was exempt from the ordinary laws of warfare. 

317. The circiunstances of this sm-prise and sparing were very similar to those at 
Engedi. Saul, with a chosen band, was seeking David at the hiU of HachUah, 
before Jeshinon ; the latter, with his friends, being in the wilderness adjacent. At the 
fall of night, Saul and his company seek repose. David and Abishai, his lieutenant, 
now emerge from their camp, and approach the tent of Saul. He is sleeping within 
the trench, his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster ; his generals lie around him. 
The sacred narrative informs us, that a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon 
Saul and his company. Abishai suggests to David to kiU the king ; David refuses ; 
they take the spear and a cruise of water, and depart scatheless. Arrived at a 
safe distance, David lifts up his voice—awakens the sleepers — taunts the king's 
generals with their remissness in watching their master, and remonstrates with Saul 
upon his continued persecution of one who is incontestibly proved to be no enemy, 
but a friend. Saul is again contrite, and departs homeward. 

318. Why did Saul consult the witch of Endor. 
Because the prophet Samuel being dead, and God 

baying withdrawn his communications from him, he could havo 



60 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

B.C. 1055.— Death of Saul. 

no knowledge of the future, except what he might obtain from 
the evil spirits. 

319. Wliy did tJie witch of Endor cry out tcTien she saw 
Samuel ? 

Because the prophet, permitted by God to revisit the earth 
in order to rebuke Saul, appeared before she had commenced 
her incantations. 

320. Her surprise and terror clearly showed that it was by the direct will of 
HeaYen, and not by the power of her nnagic, that the venerable seer was recalled to 
sight. Saul's reason is given in the text (1 Sam. xxviii. 15) — "And Saul said, I am 
in great distress ; for the Philistines fight against me, and God is departed from me, 
and answereth me, neither by the hand of prophets nor by dreams ; wherefore I 
have called thee, that thou mayst malie known to me what I shall do." 

321. Why did Saul at last commit suicide hy falling upon 
his own sword ? 

Because, being defeated by the Ph listines at Mount Gilboa, 
and wounded, he was seized with a fit of despair, which he 
had not virtue enough to resist. 

322 Wliy were the remains of Saul and his sons hurnt, 
instead of huried as was usual ? 

Because, probably, that thus they might be preserved from 
farther insult by the Philistines. 

323. This is the first time that incremation, or funeral -burning, is mentioned in 
the Scriptures; and although a common and honourable mode of sepulture among 
the classical nations of antiquity, it was not regarded favourably by the Hebrews. 
The practice, however, became afterwards honourable with them, and so continued 
until the Babylonian captivity, when a change of opinion took place, and the 
practice was discontinued. 

324. Why did David order the death of the Amalehite 
who accused himself of Jcilling Saul ? 

To show his horror of such an act of sacrilege, as he con- 
sidered the killing of a king and " the Lord's anointed." 

325. Why did Abner, SauVs general, ^proclaim Ishhosheth 
king of Israel, in opposition to David ? 

Because, being a powerful but unprincipled soldier, he hoped 
to possess the reins of government himself, the imbecility of 
Ishbosheth favouring that project. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON "WHY. 



61 



B.C. 1050.— Eeign of Dayid 



326. Why did David suffer IshhosJietJi to remain tivo years 
unopposed ? 

Because of his stedfast regard for tlie familj^ of Saul, and 
particularly for the memory 
of Jonathan, his friend. 

327. Why did Ahner 
offer to deliver up JsJihos- 
heih to David? 

Because that king had 
reproached him with some 
private misconduct, \^hich 
the haughty general thus 
resented. 

328. Why ivas Ahner 
slain hy Joah, David's gene- 
ral ? 

Because in a contest be- ^^^1^'^-- 
tween the tribes, Abner had -^z.-^^ 
slain Asahel, the brother of ^'~^-- 
Joab. 

329. WJiy did his cap- 
tains revolt against and 
kill Ishhosheth? "^^^ costume in datiu's eeign. 

Because, seeing that the power of the kingdom had departed 
%vith the death of Abner, they thought to make their peace 
■with David by the murder of the son of Saul. 

330. David, however, so far from rewarding the assassins, ordered them to be 
mutilated, and aftei-wards hanged up over the pool in Hebron, honourably burying 
the remains of Ishbosheth. 

This act of justice on the part of David had a most favourable effect upon the 
tribes which had hitherto stood aloof, for aU Israel now came to him and saluted 
him king over the whole country. 




331. Why did David, when bringing the ark of God from 
Kirjath-jearim, to place it in his own city, alloiu it to remain 
at Perez-uzzah ? 

Because of the calamity "which bcfel Uzzah, who for 
irreverently touching the ark, was smitten and died. 



62 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



B.C. 1033.— David's Fall and Punislunent. 

332. The scene of tMs misfortune was hence called Perez-Uzzah. The whole 
process adopted on this removal of the ark was entirely contrary to the directions 
given in the law. The ark was not to be conveyed on a cart or drawn by any 
animals, but to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites, by means of staves ; 
which precluded the ark itself from being handled by the bearers in its removals. 
Indeed, it was forbidden on pain of death that any of the holy things should be 
touched even by tbe Levites. But the ark was the bohest of aU the holy things, and 
hence the punishment of Uzzah, and the humiliation of David. 

333. W/iT/ did David afterioards remove the arh from the 
house of Ohed-Edom into the city ? 

Because, understanding that the Lord Lad blessed Obed- 
Edom and his house on account of the ark, he longed to remove 
it to his own. 

334. Why did Michal, David's wife, despise him ? 
Because, upon bringing into his own house the ark of God, 

and being actuated by a holy enthusiasm, David danced before 
it as one of the ordinary choristers might have done. 

335. That God approved of the king's conduct, and disapproved of that of his 
wife, was soon made manifest. Michal was stricken with sterihty, and "had no 
child unto the day of her death" (1. Sam. vi. 23). 

336. IVhy was David's request to build a temple to the 
Lord refused? 

Because he was a man whose hands had shed much blood. 
The wars he had been engaged in were indeed just ones ; but 
he was also to shed innocent blood, and to stain himself with 
other crimes. The privilege was denied him, but it was 
promised to his son and successor, Solomon, 

337. Why teas the prophet Nathan sent to David to 
reprove him ? 

Because of his sin with Bathsheba, and his cruelty in 
compassing the death of Uriah. 

338. David takes Bathsheba to wife after the death of Uriah, but the anger of 
God is kindled against him, and misfortunes crowd upon him. Nathan, upon liis 
sincere repentance, assures him of God's forgiveness, but announces a series of mis- 
fortunes as inevitably to follow. The child of David and Bathsheba dies — David's 
other sons fall into contentions and crimes — Absalom, his favourite, actually revolts 
against the king, and raises an army to oppose him. In short, the life of David from 
*^he murder of Uriah is one uninterrupted string of calamity and misery. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 63 

B.C. 1020.— AMtliophel Hangs Himself. 

339. Why did Ahsalom jiy the Icingdom 

Because, in revenge of the cruelty practised upon Ms 
sister Tamar by Amnon, liis brother, he decoyed that prince 
away from Jerusalem and slew him. 

340. Why did Ahsalom raise a revolt against David, his 
father ? 

Because he was impatient to rule as king of Israel, and 
being full of vanity and ambition could not wait the ordinary 
course of events. 

341. Why did David ialce this revolt so patiently 1 
Because he looked upon himself as an offender in the sight 

of God, and accepted the trouble as a penalty for his sins. 

343. This is strikirigly exemplified in the instance of the cursing of Shimei. 
David is represented as walking near Bahurim with some officers of his household, 
when a man of the family of the house of Saul comes out and curses him, following 
up his verbal assault Avith a volley of stones. David's attendants begged to be allowed 
to chastise the insolence of "this dead dog." His reply is confii-matory of this 
view — " So let him curse. Let him alone .... and let him curse ; for the Lord hath 
bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the 
Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day." 

343. Why did Ahithophel, Ahsalom s chief counsellor, hang 
himself? 

Because his advice in the conduct of the conspiracy was 
not followed. 

3-ii. Ahithophel was considered the wisest and most astute of all the people 
of Israel. The strong expression is used in the text that " the counsel of Ahithophel 
which he gave in those days, was as if a man should consult the oracle of God." He 
prescribes a course of conduct which Absalom proceeds to follow ; but after a while, 
Hushai, a friend of David, comes, apparently in all sincerity, over to the side of 
Absalom. Ahithophel advises a prompt and sudden mod-s of action — a rapid attact, 
ere the forces of the king, his father, shall have time to be set in array against the 
rebellious son. Such a course would doubtless have been the wisest. This Hushai 
perceives ; but in the interest of David, adA-ises delay, lest any failure should damp 
the ardour of the newly organized revolters. This advice is taken, and David is 
saved. The far-seeing Ahithophel deemed the cause of Absalom to be lost, when 
he knew that tlia counsel of Hushai was to be followed. His pride coidd ill brook 
the neglect of the ad\ice he had given, and which he had used to see so reverently 
regarded. On both accounts he abandoned the cause. He " saddled liis ass and 
arose, and got him to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and 
hanged himself, and died, and was bui'ied in the sepulchre of his father." 



64 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

B.C. 1017.— Pate of Absalom. 

345. What toas the fate of Absalom ? 

Being defeated by the army of David, his father, and in full 
flight, as he rode upon his mule beneath the spreading branches 
of a great oak, his hair was miraculously caught by the tree, and 
he remained suspended between heaven and earth. 

346. Here lie was seen by Joab, tbe captain of king David's host, yrbo, 
taking three darts, thrust them through the heart of Absalom. 

347. Why ^ccis the king displeased loith Joah ? 

Because he had given strict orders, at the commence- 
ment of the conflict, that no one should kill or hurt his son 
Absalom. 

348. Why were the seven men of the race of Saul put 
to death ? 

B.ecause, by a breach of his treaty with the Gibeonite-t 
(Josh. ix. 15), on the part of Saul, the anger of the Lord was 
kindled against Israel, and a famine was sent upon the land. 

349. David, ignorant of the cause of the drought, seeks the oracle of Goa and 
is informed of it. He then endeavours to make a compromise with the injured 
Gibeonites by offering them money. This they refuse, and demand full satisfaction 
upon the race of Saul. "The man that consumed us, and that devised against us 
that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, let seven 
of his sons be dehvered unto us, and we wiU hang them up." David, seeing no 
alternative, consents ; and the famine ceases. 

350. Why did David numher the people ? 

Prom a motive of pride, which, in one whom God had so 
highly favoured, was a great crime. 

351. David was incited to this act by Satan, as may be seen by a reference to 
1 Chron. xxi. 1, where it is expressly stated. The foUy and imprudence of such an 
act was obvious, even to Joab, an officer not very scrupulous, but sufficiently 
informed of the nature of the tenure by which his royal master held his kingdom, 
to know that the numbering of Israel would offend God. David's repentance 
immediately followed the consummation of his offence, and being told that the choice 
of three punishments was given him, namely, three years famine, a three months' 
flight before his enemies, or a three days' pestilence, he chooses the latter, 
preferring rather to fall into the hands of God than into the hands of men. 

352. Why were the people punished for what tvas the 
fault of the king only? 

Tliey hnd incurred a great debt of punishment for joiniiig in 



THE BIBLICAL EEASO^T WHY. 65 



B.C. 1015.— The books of Kings. 



the revolts of Absalom and Sheba, the son of Bichri, which was 
discharged upon this occasion. 

353. Why are the first and second hooks of Kings so 
called ? 

Because they are thus designated by the Hebrews, whom 
our translators have preferred to follow. 

35-1. Tlic books of Kings were not written by one person. As there was all 
through their history a succession of prophets among the Jews, who recorded, by 
Di\-ine inspiration, the most remax-kable things that happened in their days, these 
books seem to have been written by those prophets. The first book relates the 
death of David and the accession of his son Solomon. His acts are contained in the 
first twelve chapters. Then ensues the di\-ision of the kingdom — Kehoboam, 
Abijam, Asa, and Jehoshaphat reigning over Judah; Jeroboam, etc., over Israel; 
while the prophets Abijah, Ehjah, and Elisha appear in the remaining eleven 
chapters. Though the memoirs seem to have been left by contemporary authors, 
one — and that probably Ezra — ^made the compilation after the captivity, frequently 
inserting the very words of his authors, with some additional reflections. 

The second book brings the history do^vn to the conclusion of the kingdom of 
Israel and to the captivity of Judah at Babylon. David and his family occupy the 
throne for near 480 years; and after the captivity continue in some degree of 
honour till the coming of Christ. The kingdom of Israel subsists about 250 years. 
The second book contains the transactions of about 303 years. 

355. TFhi/ was David, toho is shoicn to have sinned griev- 
ously, said to have leen a man after God's oivn heart? 

Because, notwithstanding his sins, which were the result 
of human frailty, his whole mind and conduct were loyally 
framed upon the observance of the Divine polity. 

356. David is said to have worshipped God with a pei-fect heart (1 Kings xiv. 
8, 9; XV. 3, 5). Idolatry and disobedience are spoken of in the Bible as resulting 
from men's seeking or acting after "their own hearts " (1 Kings xii. 33). It is in 
this sense generally that David is so often mentioned in a favourable fight. As a 
worshipper of the true God — as holding his regal power in dependence upon Jehovah, 
the true king of Israel — as ruhng constitutionally, not despotically ; faitliful to the 
sacerdotal, as well as the prophetic elements of the government ; also on account of 
great personal excellences — ^he was deservedly accounted a model king. He became 
the idol of the nation — ^the symbol of national weal. 

357. Why did Adonijah aspire to he Tcfng ? 

Because, after the death of Absalom, he was the eldest 
son of David, and as such thought himself entitled to the 
succession. 



66 THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 



B.C. 1012.— Eeign of Solomon. 

358. David has bjsn blamed for remissness in not repressing his forwardness, 
as his conduct tended to create confusion, and to frustrate the appointment of God. 
Cut the king was convinced that nothing would frustrate that order ; and he would 
take measures, in due time, to curb the ambition of Adonijah, from which as yet 
he apprehended no danger. 

359. Why did Adonijah, ujoon the proclamation of Solomo7i 
as king, jiy for refuge to the horns of the altar ? 

Because his followers having deserted him, and being 
exposed to the penalty of treason, he thought only of saving 
his life, which the privilege of the sanctuary enabled him 
for the time to do. 

360. Why did David command Solomon to punish Joah 
and Shimei ? 

The instructions given by David to his son, with relation 
to these two persons, did not proceed from any rancour of 
heart, or private pique, but from a zeal for justice, that crimes 
so public and heinous might not pass unpunished. 

361 . David and Solomon esteemed themselves, in a manner, defiled until this 
was done. Joab had behaved to David with great insolence after the death of 
Absalom. He had lately sided with Adonijah. But his worst crime was the 
treacherous murder of two great generals, who had put themselves under David's 
protection and were promoting his welfare. Only the fear of greater commotions 
had hitherto prevented David from bringing his nephew to public execution as 
the people expected. He laid the injunction upon his son, that when his power 
should be sufficiently strong, the impunity of such offenders might ho longer 
destroy the commonwealth. 

"362. TVliy was Ahiathar, the high priest, deposed? 
Because he had joined the rebellion of Adonijah. 

363. His participation in this revolt brought about the fate predicted to the 
house of Eli. (1 Sam. xi.) He might justly have been put to death. Solomon 
merely banishes him to his own city; but the office of the high priesthood passes 
from his hands. Joab, hearing of the banishment of Abiathar, flies to sanctuary, 
taking hold of the horns of the altar; but even here the justice of the king reaches 
him, and, notwithstanding the sacredness of the place, he is executed. 

364. JIoiD did Solomon become celebrated for loisdom ? 
Being desired to ask some particular gift from Jehovah, 

he chose that of wisdom P 

365. In answer to his request, Grod said, " Behold, I have done according to thy 
words; lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was 
none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee." 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 67 



E.G. 1012.— "Wisdom of Solomon. 



366 What was the first remarJcahle example of this gift 
which Solomon exhihiied ? 

His celebrated judgment between tlie two harlots (1 Kings 
iii. 16). 

367. Two women dwelt together in one house. Upon a certain night, one of 
these was delivered of a child, and three nights later the other was also deUvered of 
a child. The mother of the last born child accidentally. killed it by overlaying it. 
But rising stealtliily, she took the living child from her friend's side and substituted 
for it her dead child. The mother of the first-born — ^living — child immediately 
detected the cheat, but could not procure the restitution of her offspring, and she 
appealed to the king for justice. Solomon hstened attentively to the two mothers, 
who both vociferously claimed the hving child, and endeavoured to prove to the 
king that the dead infant was really the child of her companion. The king, to settle 
the point, liits upon an expedient. He calls for a sword, and proposes to divide the 
living child between the two mothers. To this the pretended mother consents ; but 
the real parent, whose heart yearns for her offspring, prefers yielding her darhng 
to her rival to seeing it slain. "Then the king answered and said. Give her 
the living child, and in no wise slay ifc : she is the mother thereof. And all 
Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the 
king ; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment." (1 
Kings iii. 27, 28.) 

3G8. Why did Solomon now begin to build the temple ? 
Because, in addition to the faculty of wisdom, God gave 
the king riches, and blessed the realm with a lasting peace. 

369. "Judah and Israel dwelt safely every man under his vine and 
under his fig-tree all the days of Solomon." (1 Kings iv. 25.) 

DESCEIPTIO^ OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. 

In a general way, the Temple of Solomon was an enlarged form of the tabernacle 
of Moses, built in stone, and secured with military defences like a citadel. As the 
worship of the Mosaic law consisted of bloody sacrifices of animals-^such as oxen, 
sheep, and goats — Solomon's temple required one spacious quadrangle, or court, ex- 
pressly for the purpose of holding and slaughtering the victims. These had their heads 
drawn down to a set of iron rings firmly fixed in the pavement, and it was the business 
of the priest officiating at the sacrifice to slaughter them with his o^vn hand. A priest, 
then, in the time of Solomon, was a man who had to go to work very much the same 
as a bi^tcher, ^^-ith his shirt sleeves tucked up. This court was necessarily kept in- 
accessible to all except those who were concerned in the work of slaughter. On greal 
festivals — such as the passover — the number of the victims was frequently so great 
that the space in this court did not suffice. 

In a hot climate, such as Jerusalem, a temple, where the slaughter of victims 
for sacrifice was of daily occurrence, would require a copious supply of water for the 
mere washingaway the blood from the pavement, for cleansing the victims andtheparts 
of the sacrifices, besides for other uses. For this purjiose, Solomon constructed a large 



68 THE BIBLICAL SEASON WIIY. 



B.C. 1012.— Solomon's Temple. 



brazen reservoir, or molten sea, wMch. contained about two thousand gallons of our 
measure, and whieli was kept filled by a water-wheel. The water from this reservoir 
was carried in smaller brazen vessels upon wheels to the different parts of the 
temple, as required. 

The destruction of the victim being essential to the nature of the worship of 
God by sacrifice, this demanded the erection of a large altar of burnt-offering, or 
"holocaust," proportionate to the offerings of the nation, which the law directed to 
be offered only in one place. Hence a very large altar was required ; and, in fact, 
this great altar was popularly termed among the Jews "Ariel," or the Lion of the 
Lord, from the rapid manner in which it consumed the victims that were laid upon 
it. The space required for this altar, the lavers, the vessels of brass for sprinMing 
the blood of the victims upon it, the flesh-hooks, etc., and the service of its officiating 
priests and other ministers and attendants, constituted a separate court of the 
temple. From the nature of the worship, consisting of the flesh of animals burnt 
upon a large fire, any assembly of the people assisting at the sacrifice under the 
same roof, as practised in the Christian worship, would be impossible. The worship 
was obliged to take place in the open air, otherwise the stench of the burning 
victims would have been unbearable. Jewish vrriters even say, that the altar was 
privileged in this sense, that let the wind be which way it might, the smoke ascended 
directly upwards to heaven — a privilege for which an assembled multitude might 
with good reason feel grateful. 

For the people two courts were provided — an inner court for the men, and an 
outer court for the women. The ascent from the court of the women to that of the 
men was through a porch and up a flight of steps. No woman was allowed to enter 
the "court of Israel" — that for the men — except upon the occasion of her offering 
any victim, upon which, according to the law, she was to lay her hand previous to its 
being sacrificed, and for which purpose it was necessary for her to pass through the 
court of Israel to approach the altar. 

In order to protect the people from the rain, or from the sun's rays, a covered 
cloister, supported on rows of pillars, surrounded the different courts. It was to 
one of these courts that our Saviour withdrew when there came on a sudden storm 
at the Feast of the Dedication (John x. 22) . Further, as the temple of the nation, 
through the constant offerings of the people, would naturally come to accumulate 
immense wealth in coin and vessels of precious metals, it was necessary, in times 
so subject to the irruptions of marauding and plundering enemies, that it should be 
defended by walls and outworks, equal in power of resistance to those of any 
citadel; and also equally necessary that there should be a body of men in its 
service whose duty it was to be ready for its defence in case of an attack. The 
temple of a nation, in those times, generally speaking, also served as a bank of 
deposit for the king and private families — a good reason for making it doubly 
secure. 

With a view to this security, the spot which God had pointed out for the 
buildings of the temple was most fitted. It was situated on the rock or mount 
Moriah, where Abraham, at the command of God, had offered his son Isaac. 

The site chosen was a platform or longitudinal ridge of rock, the eastern side 
of which flanked the valley of Jehoshaphat, in a precipitous manner. The southern 
extremity looked dovm upon the valley of Ben Hinnom, and the side to the west 
was separated by a deep ravine from Mount Zion, on which David's palace stood. 
On these three sides, then, the platform was, by nature, inaccessible, and when 



THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 



C9 



B.C. 1012.— Solomon's Temple 



strengthened by liigh and thick walls, it became almost impregnable. On the 
north side the platform of rock adjoined the rest of the city by a narrow neck, the 
approach to which was secured by a tower of immense strength, afterwards called 
the "turris Antonia." This 
tower, with the walls that 
surrounded the temple, com- 
pleted its defences. 

The whole temple, thus 
secured, used to be called by 
the Jews "the Mountain of 
the Lord's House." The 
Lord's House itself was com- 
paratively trifling in the way 
of dimensions as a building, 
being only double the size of 
the Tabernacle of the wilder- 
ness. Its importance lay in 
its sanctity, as being the 
abode of the Lord God of 
Israel, who is said by the 
prophets to have dwelt be- 
tween its cherubim carved in 
ohve-wood. 

As in the Tabernacle of 
Moses so in the Lord's house, 
the antichamber contained • 
the shew-bread, the altar of in- ; 
cense, and the seven-branched 
candlesticks* i and was en- golden candlestick. 

tered morning and evening by one single officiating priest. The inner chamber, 
the sanctuary or holy of hohes, also contained the ark of the covenant, and was 
entered but once a year, on the day of expiation, by the high priest alone. The 
glory of these two chambers lay in their sanctity and their inward magnificence ; 
outwardly they were scarcely distinguishable as an architectural feature, being 
themselves connected with other buildings, which contained chambers for the 
priests, and other purposes connected with the temple. 




* Annexed is a representation of the seven-branched candlestick, tak n from a 
sculpture upon the arch of Titus at Eome. It forms a portion of the spoils seized by 
the Komans, when, in the year of our Lord 70, the temple and city of Jerusalem were 
taken and destroyed. Josephus says, that " after the Romans had destroyed the 
temple, the several things which were found within it were carried in triumph to 
Rome, namely, the golden table and the golden candlestick with seven branches." 
These were lodged in the temple bmlt by Vespasian, and consecrated to Peace, 
at the foot of Mount Palatine. The arch mentioned above is stiU visible with its 
bassi rehe-s-i. In aU probability the golden candlestick of the last temple was 
modelled strictly upon the pattern of ths former ones, an A was exactly like tliem 
in appearance. 



70 THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 



B.C. 1004.— The Queen of Sheba. 

A distinction is to be observed between the House of the Lord and the 
Mountain of the Lord's House — the first term applying to these two sacred 
chambers, and the latter to the whole range of buildings with its walls and 
defences. The Mountain of the Lord's House was, in fact, held by a garrison of 
Levites, who watched it, in a complete state of military defence, night and day. 

370. W^hy did King Solomon marry the daughter of 
Pharaoh, King of Egypt ? 

Because an alliance with liis most powerful neighbour 
seemed most desirable at that juncture, and was best effected 
by that means. 

371. This princess probably embraced the true religion, as her praises are 
rehearsed in the 44!th Psahn, and in the " Song of Solomon ; " although it is 
equally probable that she afterwards relapsed into idolatry, and became a chief 
instrument in the perversion of the king. 

372. Why was the long peace, mentioned in 1 Kings iv. 25 
'particularly necessary at this period ? 

Because the special mission of Solomon was the erection of 
a temple to the Lord, an undertaking which could only be 
successful under the circumstances of profound peace, and a 
certain degree of amity with the neighbouring kingdoms. 

373. Solomon wrote a letter to Hiram, king of Tyre, who had been his father's 
friend, requesting him to furnish workmen who were skilled in carving cedar- 
wood, and to supply cedar-timber from the mountains of Lebanon; offering terms 
to which Hiram rephed in a very friendly manner. 

Vast numbers were employed upon the building of the temple. Thirty 
thousand men worked, ten thousand by turns every month, in hewing timber, 
seventy thousand in carrying burdens, and eighty thousand in stone quarries in the 
mountains ; over all of whom were set a proportionate number of overseers. 

374. Sow long was the temple of Solomon in hiiilding ? 
In seven years the works were completed, and all Israel, 

with the princes of the tribes, and the heads of the families of 
Israel, were gathered together to King Solomon in Jerusalem, 
that they might carry the ark of the covenant out of the city 
David to its new resting place. 

375. IVIiy did the Queen of Sheha pay a visit to King 
Solomon ? 

Because, having heard of his great wisdom, she came to 
satisfy her curiosity, and to prove him with hard questions. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 71 

B.C. 975.— Solomon's Fall into Idolatry. 

376. Because also in all probability this was a means used by Jeliovah to spread 
a knowledge of the truth into the remote regions subject to the queen. She 
confessed that Solomon's wisdom surpassed aU that she had heard reported. She 
blessed Jehovah for showing her such a king ; and from her words (1 Kings x. 9) it 
is evident that she had imbibed some notions of the true worship. 

377. W7i7/ did the Divine Messing depart from Solomon ? 
Because, disregarding the law of Jehovali, he added to the 

stores of his riches, the vastness of his armies, and the number of 
his wives ; contracting alliances with the heathens around him, 
setting up altars to their idols, and joining in the sacrifices 
offered to them. 

378. "Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, 
and thou hast not kept my covenant, and my statutes, which I have commanded 
thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and give it to thy servant. Not- 
withstanding in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father's sake ; but I wiH rend 
it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom, but 
wiU give one tribe to thy son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's 
sake, which I have chosen. (1 Kings xi. 11 — 13.) 

379. W/io loas Jeroboam? 

He was the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, an active, 
talented young man, whom Solomon had selected and set over 
his tributes in the district of Millo. 

380. Ahijah, the SHonite — a prophet of the Lord — ^met Jeroboam as he was 
going out of Jerusalem, Taking his own new outer garment or cloak, he divided 
it into twelve pieces, and as they were alone in the field together, he said to 
Jeroboam, "Take thee ten pieces, for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 
Behold I vrill rend the Idngdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten 
tribes to thee." If Jeroboam proved faithful to the law of God, this possession 
was to be secured to him ; if faithless, he, in his turn, should be punished. 

381. Why is it jprohdble that Solomon died rej)entant? 
Because the book of Ecclesiastes, composed by him, and 

which is full of the expressions of deep repentance, may 
have been his last work, and dying legacy. 

382. Why did the people of Israel revolt from Itehohoam, 
the son and heir of Solomon ? 

Because, upon their leaders making a petition to him to 
remedy some defects of the government, he, contrary to the 
advice of the elders of his council, answered them harshly, 
and w^ith contuiueJy. 



72 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

B.C. 974.— Eevolt of the Ten Tribes. 

383. Jeroboam, probably knowing the temper of Rehoboam, foresaw this 
result, and was prepared for it. It was at his instance that the deputation had 
been sent. "Your father," said the leaders of Israel, "laid burdens upon us— 
now, therefore, do you lighten these burdens, and we will serve thee." Time 
to consider is asked by King Eehoboam ; a council is held ; the old men advise 
concession — the young men resistance. Kehoboam prefers to follow the latter 
plan. His father, he teUs them, laid his hand upon them, but he vrill press 
it down. " My Little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins." " My 
father hath chastised you with whips, but I wiU chastise you with scorpions." 
(I Kings xii. 11.) Upon these words the people cried out, " To your tents, Israel j 
now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents." 

Eehoboam made one more experiment. He sent Adoram, his chief collector of 
tribute, amongst the revolters, "but aU Israel stoned him with stones, that he 
died." Eehoboam then shut himself up in Jerusalem. 

It may be useful to distinguish the respective territories of the two kingdoms 
into which we find the dominion of David and Solomon now di\'ided. Jeroboam 
possessed ten triljes, together with all the tributary nations eastward to the 
Euphrates. This formed the kingdom of Israel. Eehoboam retained only the 
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with Philistine and Edom. But the whole of 
this territory, which was now called the kingdom of Judah, included scarcely a 
fourth of Solomon's dominion. 

384. W/iy did not Hehohoam endeavour to regain the 
allegiance of the revolted tribes ? 

Because lie was forbidden to do so, or to fight against 
Israel; Sliemaiah, the propkeb, being sent from God vritli a 
message to Rehoboam to that effect. 

385. IVhy did Jerohoam set up the tvorship of the golden 
calves at Bethel and Dan ? 

Because he feared tliat his subjects, by going up continually 
to Jerusalem to worship according to the prescription of the 
Mosaic law, might, in time, be induced to revolt from him. 

3S6. To prevent the people being shocked by too great a change, Jeroboam 
appointed feasts, corresponding to those obsei'ved in the temple at Jerusalem ; and 
to encourage them by royal example, he attended in person at the altar in Bethel, 
and worshipped the golden calf which he had set up, with all his court and the 
oflicers of his household. 

387. Wliy was the hand of Jerohoam the king withered ? 
Because, in contempt of the prophet sent against him from 

God, he ordered him to be seized, stretching out his arm for 
that purpose. 

388. The impious king, however, is no sooner struck -with this affliction than he is 
seized with compunction, and entreats the prophet's prayers that the use of his hand 
may be restored to him. The prophet then prays, and the king's hand is healed. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 950.— The Disobedient Prophet. 

889. Why was this ]^ro]iliet, lolio is called the " disohedient 
prophet," slain hy a lion ? 

Because he infringed the instructions given him by God, 
not " to eat bread, or to diiuk water, or to turn again by 
the way " he came. 

390= This is one of those mysterious instances with which the Bibhcal 
history abounds. But some light is thrown upon the circiunstance by the con- 
sideration that those to whom Jehovah has manifested Himself, miraculously 
speaking with them, and confiding his awful niessages to their keeping, are 
called upon to coi*respond to this faYour by a very scrupulous obserTanee of the 
Divine law and commandment. As Moses, for one hasty expression, was debari«d 
from entering the promised land, so this young prophet is, for a breach of his orders, 
naet on his return home, and becomes the prey of a savage beast. 

391. Why did Jeroboam make war upon the kingdom of 
Judah ? 

Because Eehoboam being dead, he considered there was a. 
good opportunity to add tiie kingdom of Judah to that of Israel. 

392. The account of this war is found in 2 Chronicles xiii. Ab'jah had 
succeeded Eehoboam; but although young, he felt no inclination to yield his 
kingdom to Jeroboam. The two armies were drawn up at mount Zemaraim, 
and Abijah, seeking to prevent an effusion of blood, addressed a remonstrance 
to the King of Israel. Israel, however, would not hearken, and the battle began 
by Jeroboam sending an ambuscade to attack the army of Judah in the rear. 
When the latter perceived the critical position in which they were, they cried to 
the Lord, and the priests began to sound with the trumpets, " and all the men 
of Judah shouted." This shout is made by Jehovah a cause of terror to the 
army of Jeroboam, which, accordingly, is panic-stricken, and takes to flight. 
The king and the army of Judah pursue, and the Israehtes are destroyed with 
a great slaughter. After this war, Abijah, the son of Kehoboam, fell sick ; out 
of mercy to him, and to spare his eyes the sight of those punishments intended 
for his father's race, he was_ called away, and died early. Jeroboam, after a 
reign of twenty-two yeai's, died, and was succeeded by his son If;. dab. In the 
second year of his reign, Baasha, a man of Issachar, conspired against him and 
slew him, and became king in his stead. And when he was king, he cut off all 
that were left of the house of Jeroboam. 

IIISTOEY OF THE KIK^GDOM OF JUDAH TO THE TIME OF ISAIAH 
THE PEOPHET (b.c. 970 to 750). 
During the ensuing period of two hundred years, kings of the family of 
David succeeded each other on the throne of Judah. But they were not all like 
David — ^men who sought the honour of God, and the glory of his sanctuary. 
Abijah, the grandson of Solomon, was a wise and powerful king. He defeated 
Jeroboam, as we have seen ; the service of the Temple flourished, and the king- 
dom prospered. Asa, his son, succeeded liim, and was also a good prince. In 
his reign, the kingdom was attacked by an ai'mv of Ethiopians, under Zerah, 

5 



74 



TEE BIBLICAL EEASON WIIT. 



B.C. 970— 750.— Kingdom of Judab, 



Asa gathered his army, and went out to meet him. He supplicates the help of 
JehoTah, who terrifies the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and they Ily. 
Asa's faith, however, in the imseen protector of his kingdom, does not remain 
firm. Baasha, who had revolted against the house of Jeroboam, and had seized 
the kingdom of Israel, began to build a fortress at Eamah, from whence to attack 
Judah. Asa, forgetting his Divine Pi'otector, takes gold and silver from the 
temple to bribe Ben-hadad. King of Syria, to make war upon Baasha. The 
plan succeeds for a time ; Baasha withdraws, but Asa is informed, through the 
prophet Hanani, that God is displeased with him. The prophet is put in prison by 
Asa, who dies himself soon afterwards, and is succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat. 
This king is faithful to the traditions of his ancestor David ; maintaining 
the worship of the God of Israel. " Therefore the Lord established the kingdom 
in his hand ; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents ; and he had riches and 
honour in abundance." (2 Chron. xvii. 5.) Alter a reign of twenty-five years, 
during which he was visibly protected by Jehovah, Jehoshaphat died, and was 
succeeded by his son, Jehoram. This was a wicked king. Dui-ing a reign of eigiit 
years, he, in many ways, troubled Judah. He slew liis brethren — married a daugliter 
of Ahab, the idolatrous king of Israel, and introduced idolatry into Judah. Elijah, 
the prophet, is aent to warn him ; whose counsel he despises ; he perishes miserably, 

and is buried without any funeral 
honours. Ahaziah, his son, reigned 
now in his stead; but his career was 
equally wicked and brief. He was 
slain by Ahab, and Athaliah liis mo- 
ther seizes the kingdom. She puts to 
"i death aU that they can find of Jeho- 
ram's family. Joash, however, an in- 
fant son of Ahaziah, is concealed and 
brought up in the temple. At the 
age of six years this prince is pro- 
duced by the priest Jehoiada and ac- 
knowledged l)y the people, and Atha- 
hah is deposed and slain. As long as 
Jehoiada lived, Joash was guided by his 
counsels, and remained firm in his 
faith. Collections were made and the 
temple repaired. But after the death 
of the good priest, Joash fell away 
into the old besetting sin of idolatry. 
!It was now that Zechariah the son 
■ of Jehoiada the priest stood forth as a 
faithful witness of Jehovah. But 
Joash is impenitent. The Syi-ians of 
Damascus come and plunder the city, and the King of Judah is murdered by his 
own servants. 

Amaziah, his son, reigned in his stead. He, at first, did what was right; but 
afterwards fell away, and suiFered the fate of his father, being murdered by his own 
servants. 




ASSTRIAK AECHEE9. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 970— 750.— Kingdom of Israel. 



After Amaziati succeeded Uzziah, the leper, -whose disease came upon him 
in punishment of his profane intrusion upon the priestly office. He had begun 
well, but became proud of his prosperity, and presumed to enter the sanctuaiy in 
place of the appointed priests, and to burn incense at the golden altar. Tor this 
he was struck, and remained a prey to the disease of leprosy, li\-iag in a house by 
himself for the rest of his life, his son Jotham acting as regent. At the death of 
Uzziah, Jotham succeeded, and reigned peacefully sixteen years. At this time Isaiah 
prophesied. 

THE K^GDOM OF ISEAEL. (b.c. 970 to 750.) 

393. WJiy toas the prophet Elijah fed hy ravens ? 
Because of the drouglit whicli fell upon the land of 

Israel, in the reign of king Ahab (b.c. circa 918). 

394. Ahab, the sixth king from Jeroboam, succeeded his father Omi-i, and 
excelled aU his predecessors in the flagitious practices of that dark period. He 
married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king- of the Sidonians, a wicked woman, 
who brought her family's idolatry into the kingdom, besides the golden calves which 
Jeroboam had set up. The drought, mentioned above, was the fii-st punishment 
denounced against Ahab by Elijah. 

395. Why is this 'prophet called the Tlshhite ? 

Because he was a native of Thisbe, a small town in the 
territory of Naphtali. 

The additional appellation "of the inh-ab'.tants of Gilead," leads to the im- 
pression that Elijah had removed from his native place, and passing the Jordan settled 
in Gilead ; of course -without being incorporated v^ith any new tribe. 

396. Why did JEUJah go to dioell loith the loidow of 
Zarephath ? 

Because the brook Cherith, beside whicli he sat, while 
miraculously fed by ravens, after a time dried up. 

397. Here more miracles were worked by Providence. Exhausted by his 
journey, he asks and obtains succour of a poor widow, whom he meets -with on the 
outside of the city. But she is as poor as himself. Elijah, however, having been 
directed to her, knows that her wants -wfll be supphed, and bids her make a small 
provision for his refreshment. She comphes, and has her reward. The drought 
continued ; but her barrel of meal did not waste, nor her cruise of oil fail. Her son 
fell sick, it may have been under the privations occasioned by the Avant of rain. 
This calamity she judged to have been inflicted through the hands of the prophet as 
a punishment for some sia. The child dies, but is restored to life by Elijah. 

398. Wiy did Elijah challenge the prophets of Baal ? 
After the drought and famine had continued for two 

years, the third year Elijah met Ahab the king, and bid him 



76 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 970— 750.— Elijah, and the Priests of Baal. 



gatlier all the people and the priests of Baal to Mount 
Carmel, there to meet. When all were assembled, Elijah 
came and said, in the hearinc^ of all, " How long halt ye 
between two opinions? If the Loed be God, follow him. 
But if Baal, then follow him!" 

399. Elijah then proposed, as a test, that altars should be erected, and victims 
slain. After which the priests of Baal and he should each invoke the God they served 
and the God who answered by fire should be aclrnowledged and adored as the true 
God. To this the people assented with acclamation. The idolatrous priests com- 
menced — they built their altar, and laid upon it their victims. They invoked Baal, 
but Baal was dumb ; "And it came to pass at noon that Ehjah mocked them, and said. 
Cry aloud, for he is a god — either he is walking, or on a journey, or, peradventure, 
he sleepeth, and must be awakened." But they cried in vain. In vain they leaped 
upon the altar, or ci^t themselves with knives. No voice came, or any answer. The 
people, to prevent all chance of deception, were then ordered to pour water over the 
victims for the burnt-offering, and they did so till the water filled the trench that 
surrounded the altar of Elijah. The prophet invoked the name of Jehovah, and 
no sooner had he done so than fii-e from heaven descended, " and consumed 
the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up 
the water that was in the trench." Cuttings hi the flesh were common modes of 
expressing grief, and of deprecating the anger of their offended deities among the 
heathen nations, by whom the Hebrews were sur- 
rounded. With them the god was a being jealous 
of human happiness, rejoicing at its miseries, and 
to be appeased best by self-inflicted tortures on 
the part of the worshipper. Against any such prac- 
tice the law had been directed, which is found in 
Lev. xii. 28, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in 
your flesh for the dead." The Canaanites, in par- 
ticular, were accustomed to lacerate themselves, 
under the influence of strong emotions. Hence 
the acts of the priests of Baal. In India, at 
the present time, such cuttings are common me- 
thods of honouring or invoking their sanguinary 
deities, whom the Apostle calls devils. The an- 
nexed figure represents a devotee of Western 
Asia, in the act of inflicting wounds upon him 
self, under this view ; it is copied from the 
work of Eugene Eoger, a French missionary 
of the 17th century. — La Terre Sainte, p. 353. 




^ 



HINDOO SELP TOBIUKh 



400. Why did the drought now cease? 

Because the people acknowledged the justice of God in 
their punishment, extirpated the idolatrous priests, and re- 
turned for the time to the worship of the true God? 



THE EIELICAL EEASON WHY. 77 

B.C. 970-750.— Elijah carried to Heaven. 

401. Why did Jezehel void vengeance against Elijah ? 
Because lie liad ordered the execution of Baal's prophets. 

402. Jezebel immediately made known to Elijah that her vengeance should 
foUow him. He accordingly fled to Beersheba. This was in the extreme southern 
district of Judah; for the prophet knew that Jezebel was not one to threaten 
only. From Beersheba he continued his flight southwards, and proceeded a day's 
journey into the wilderness of Paran, where sinking, overcome with fatigue and 
hunger, he was miraculously reheved, as Hagar had of old received succour in 
the very same desolate region. Eefreshed with his food, he went for forty days 
and forty nights, till he came to Horeb, where God appeared to him, and com- 
missioned him to anoiat Hazael, Jehu, and EHsha. 

403. Wliy did Aliab jput Nahotli to death ? 

Because he coveted a vineyard belonging to him, and, at 
the suggestion of Jezebel, possessed himself of it by the 
murder of the owner. 

404. "^o reprove the king was as dangerous as to resist him. No one dared to 
incur the peril. But Elijah was faithful ; and, under the Divine directions, he went 
and found Ahab in the vineyard. Alarmed and indignant the monarch exclaimed, 
" Hast thou found me, O mine enemy ?" The prophet pronounced sentence on the 
transgressor, whose heart was smitten. He gave tokens of penitence, and the 
execution of the penalty was postponed. 

405. Why did Elijah bring fire from heaven iijpon the 
messengers of AhaVs successor ? 

Because the king Ahaziah having fallen ill, and having 
first sent to Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, to inquire his fate, 
sent afterwards to apprehend Elijah. 

406. That the recourse had to this idol was an ,act of contempt to Jehovah, is 
stated in 2 Kings i. 3. Elijah afterwards sent to the king a message, announcing 
his approaching death. 

407. Why was Elijah carried to heaven in a chariot of 
fire ? 

Because, having delegated EUsha to carry his message to 
Israel, and having anointed him as his successor, it pleased 
God to exhibit to the latter a manifestation of the sublime 
dignity and supernatural mission of Elijah. 

408. The parting of Ehjah and Ehsha is beautifully described in 2 Kings ii : 
"And it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a 
whii'lvrind, that Ehjah went with Ehsha from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Ehsha, 
' Tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel.' And EHsha said 
to him, ' As the Lord hveth, and as thy soul liveth, I Avill not leave thee,' So they 



78 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 970— 750.— Naaman's Leprosy Cured. 

went down to Bethel, and tlie sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to 
Elisha, and said unto him, ' Knowest thou not that the Lord will take away thy 
master from thy head to-day ?' And he said, ' Yea, I know it ; hold ye your 
peace.' And Elijah said unto him, ' Ehsha, tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord 
hath sent me to Jericho.' And he said, * As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, 
I will not leave thee.' So they came to Jericho." (The sons of the prophets that were 
at Jericho repeat the warning to EHsha, but he heeds them not. They then came 
to the Jordan together, and Elijah miraculously divides the waters, and they pass 
over dry shod. Elisha then asks that, when Ehjah leaves him, a double portion 
of his spirit may be given him ; which request is granted.) "And it came to pass, 
as they stiU went on and taUced, that behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and 
horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Ehjah went up by a whirlwind 
into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, ' My father, my father ! the chariot 
of Israel, and the horsemen thereof; and he saw him no more." 

409. Why ivere the children wJio moclced Elisha Icilled hy 
hears ? 

Because the raajesty of Heaven was insulted in the person 
of the prophet, and this signal punishment was intended as 
a token of the deference that would be exacted for the person 
and mission of Elisha. 

410. Why did Elisha sweeten the hitter ivaters at Jericho? 
As a mark of the Divine favour for the city that sheltered 

the prophet. 

411. EHsha became celebrated throughout Israel for the miracles which he 
worked after having received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. He mul- 
tiplied a few loaves of bread, so as to feed a hundred men. He neutralized the 
poison that had been boiled in the pot by accident, for the meal of the sons of 
the prophets. He multiplied a cruise of oil wherewith to pay a poor woman's 
debt. He restored life to the son of the Shunamitess who sheltered him. He made 
the iron head of an axe to swim on the waters of Jordan. He revealed to 
Jehoram aU the secrets of the Syrian army, and blinded the eyes of a Syrian com- 
pany that was sent to arrest him, so as to bring them into the middle of Samaria 
before they knew to what place they were being led. He foretold to Jehoram the 
breaking up of the siege of Samaria, and his deliverance. He foretold to Hazael, 
king of Syria, that he should supersede Ben-hadad. 

412. Why was Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, strucJc with 
leprosy ? 

Because he took a bribe from Naaman the Syrian, who 
had been cured by Elisha. 

413. Naaman, general of the army of the king of Syria, was a favourite with 
his master. Unfortunately he was a leper. But it so happened that among his 
domestics was a httle captive maid, whom a certain predatory company had stolen 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 970 - 750. - The End of Jezebel. 

•from tlie land cf the Hebrews : "And she said to her mistress, Would Grod, my lord 
were with the prophet that is in SaiTiaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy." 
Then ISTaaman went unto his lord and told him, saying, "Thus and thus said the 
g^rl from the land of Israel." The king advised him. to follow ixp the hint, and gave 
him a letter to the king of Israel. So Xaaman departed with the usual com 
pliment of gold, silver, and changes of raiment. When the Idng of Israel received 
the message, he concluded that the whole business was only a covert scheme to 
bring about a quarrel between the two Idngdoms. "Am I God," said he, "to kill 
and to make alive." He rent his clothes and exhibited aU the marks of aman iU. at ease. 
But word is taken to Ehsha, who comforts the king, and bidding him remember 
that there is a prophet in Israel, desires him to send the Syrian general to him. 
Naaman arrives at the house of the prophet, wlio directs him by a message to go 
and wash seven times in the river Jordan, ^vith the promise that upon his com- 
pliance his flesh should recover its soundness. 

K"aaman was piqued that the prophet should suffer him to come and go without 
honouring him with a personal interview. He also disliked the commonplace nature 
of the means to be used for his cure, although it is not said that he doubted of their 
efficacy. "I thought," said the disappointed general, "he will sm-ely come out to 
me, and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his G • :, and strike his hand 
over the place and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of 
Damascus, better than aU the waters of Israel ? May I not wash in them, and be 
clean.? So he turned and went away in a rage." (2 Kings v. 11, 12.) But l!faaman 
appears to have been singularly blest with good and faithful attendants, one of whom 
ventured to remonstrate with his master, showing him how very easy the conditions 
were, and how unreasonable it woxild be to neglect them on account of their 
simplicity. Yielding to his ad^-ice, ISTaaman proceeds to the Jordan, and is healed. 
Then returning he wished to bestow some token of his gratitiide upon Ehsha, but 
none would be received. The servant Gehazi, however, upon the departure of 
Naaman, hastened after him, and pretending that the prophet had had a sudden 
demand upon his pm'se, obtained from the Syrian general a handsome largesse. 
Of course this is immediately discovered by Elisha, and the leprosy is inflicted 
upon Gehazi. 

414. 7'F7i^y was Jehu anointed, Mug during the life of 
Ahah ? 

Because lie was intended as the instrument in God's hands 
for the punishment of that wicked king. 

415. Why did dogs lick up the hlood of Jezehel, the wife 
of Ahah ? 

Because of her cruelties, and especially on account of her 
procuring the murder of JN^aboth. 

416. Jehu, the extirpator of the race of Ahab, was but an indifferent character; 
still, because he had faithfully carried out his mission, the throne of his race was 
secured to his family to the fourth generation. He was accordingly succeeded by his 
son Jehoahaz, by Jehoram, his grandson, Jeroboam II., his great gi-andson, and 
Zachariah, the fourth in descent from him. There his dynasty ended. In four more 



80 



THE BIBLICAL REASON AVHT. 



Oi'iental Customs of Salutation. 



reigns the kingdom of Israel terminated, and its suljjugation by Assj^ria commenced. 
Finally, in tlie year 721 B.C., Salmanezer took Samaria, carried ofi' the principal 
inhabitants captive, and planted them in Halah and Habor, cities of the Medes. 




BOWING. 




417. Why was Geliazi, the servant of JElisha, when sent hy 
the prophet to the bereaved Shunamite, ordered not to salute 
any one hy the way, or to acJcnoioledge the salutations of 
others ? 

Because tlie business required despatcli, and the nature of 
oriental civilities tended to a great expenditure of time. 

418, The gestures and inflections of the body, which were made on an occasion 
of salutation differed at different times, varying v^ith the dignity 
and station of the person who was saluted. In pronouncing 
the forms of salutation, "Be thou blessed of Jehovah," "The 
blessing of Jeho- 
vah be upon thee," 
"May God be with 
thee," etc., the 
Orientals placed 
the right -hand up- 
on the left breast, 

and with much 
gravity, inclined the head. At the 
present day if two Arab friends of 

equal rank meet together, they mutually extend to each other the right hand, and 

having clasped, they elevate them as if 
to kiss them. Having advanced thus 
far in the ceremony, each one draws 
back his hand and kisses it instead of 
his friend's, and then places it upon his 
forehead. If one of the Arabs be more 
exalted in point of rank than the other, 
he is at hberty to give the other an 
opportunity of kissing, instead of his 
own, the hand of his superior. The 
parties then continue the salutation by 
reciprocally kissing each other's beard, 
having first placed the hand under it, 
in which case alone it is lawful to 
touch the beard (2 Sam. xx. 9). In the 
presence of the great and the noble, 
the Orientals incline themselves to the 
earth, kiss their knees or the hem of their garment, and place it upon their fore- 
head. When in the presence of kings and princes they prostrate themselves, smite 
the ground with their foreheads, or kiss the earth. 



BOWING TO THE EAKTH. 




ANCIENT MODE OF SALUTING. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



81 



The Books of Clironicles. 

419. Why icere the first and second hooTcs of Chronicles 
written ? 

In order to supply an account of certain details concerning 
the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, which the Avritcrs of the 
preceding books of Samuel aiad the Kings had omitted. 

420. The seventy Greek interpreters call these books "the first and second 
books of Paralipomenon," that is, "of things left out." By the Hebrews they are 

termed Debre-Jiajamin, that is, "The words 
of the days," or as the EngHsh Bible has 
it, the " Chronicles." They are not to be 
confounded \Tith the books so often quoted 
in the books of ELings and Samuel as the 
"words of the Kings," or the " Chronicles 
of the Kings," because the present books 
were written subsequently to the books of 
Kings and Samuel. The Chronicles were 
most probably written by Ezra. 

The name Chronicles was given to these 
books by St. Jerome, because they contain 
an abstract, in the order of time, of the 
whole of the sacred history down to the 
period when they were written — 3468 years. 
They appear to have been compiled otit of 
the national diaries or annals. They con- 
tain many things not extant elsewhere; 
and several things related in the former 
books are here enlarged upon and elucidated. Hence the title " things omitted " 
{pa}-aUpo)7ieno»). The authenticity of these books is beyond question as well by 
a great mass of external evidence as by the indirect attestation of our Lord and 
Lis apostles. 

421. Why are there several manifest variations in names, 
facts, and dates heticeen the books of Kings and Chronicles ? 

Because the latter books were supplemental to the former, 
and were compiled at a much later date, when the vernacular 
language had undergone a change, when several places had 
received new names, or had undergone sundry vicissitudes. 




MODERX- PEESIAX BOWIXG-. 



422. Certain things were now better known to the Jews tmder other 
appellations; and from the materials before him the author of the Chronicles 
selected those passages which were best adapted for his purpose, and most 
suitable to the times in which he wrote. The variations in proper names will 
generally be accounted for by attending to the precise period of time spoken of, 
whence it will appear that frequently two different persons are described. 

0* 



82 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

B.C. 536.— Ezra the PropTiet. 

423. What are tlie ]princijpal contents of the two hooTcs of 
Chronicles ? 

The first book contains tlie genealogies of tlioss persons 
through whom the Messiah was to descend from Adam to the 
captivity, and to the time of Ezra ; the first inhabitants of 
Jerusalem after the captivity ; the reign and death of Saul ; and 
the transactions of the reign of David. 

The second book contains the history of the kingdom of 
Israel under Solomon ; the accession of E-ehoboam ; the division 
of the kingdom ; and the plundering of Jerusalem by Shishak ; 
the reigns of Abijah and Asa, kings of Judah; the reign of 
Jehoshaphat ; the reigns of Jehoram and Ahaziah ; and the 
usurpation of Athaliah ; the reigns of i^.maziah, Uzziah, and 
Jotham ; of Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah ; 
the subsequent reigns to the destruction of the city and 
temple ; and the edict of Cyrus. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE BOOKS FKOM EZRA TO DANIEL. 

424. Why was the hooTc of Ezra written ? 

Because it was desirable to preserve a circumstantial account 
of the events preceding and coincident with the return of 
the Jews from Babylon, the rebuilding of the temple, and 
the re-establishment of the Jewish ceremonial, which Ezra, as 
a principal actor, a priest, and a prophet, was well qualified 
to do. 

425. Tlie book of Ezra, accordingly, contains memorabilia, or records of events 
occurring at the end of the exile. It comprises accounts of the favours bestowed upon 
the Jews by Persian kings, of the temple, of Ezra's mission to Jerusalem, his regula- 
tions and reforms. The time comprised in the book is about seventy-nine years, or 
from B.C. 536 to 437. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 83 

B.C. 536. — ISTature of Synagogue Worsliip. 

426. Why is Ezra called the son of Seraiah, vjhen it is 
Jcnoion that the latter was slain hy Nehiichadnezzar more than 
a century before Ezras time 1 

Because it had become usual to call a person " tlie son," 
who was only the descendant of another. 

427. Thus, son of David meant descendant of David, etc. 

428. Why is the era of this leader and priest very 
interesting ? 

Because with him the Jewish system of worship under^'ent 
a complete reinvigoration, during which the people were 
thoroughly weaned from their old tendency to idolatry, and 
the synagogue with its observances arose. 

429. WJiy was the synagogue so called ? 

Because it was a jalace of meeting. The two Greek words 
from which the term is formed having that signification. 

430. What was the nature of the synagogue worship among 
the Jews ? 

When an assembly was collected together for worship — 
which was on all Sabbaths and festival days— the services 
began with a doxology, i.e., a h3'-mn of praise to God. A 
section was then read from the Mosaic law. Then followed, 
after the singing of a second doxology, the reading of a portion 
of the prophets. (Acts xv. 21; Luke iv. ]6.) 

431. Tlie person ^yllose duty it was to read placed upon his head, as is done 
at the present day, a covering called TallUh — a kind of veU, commemorative of the 
veil which Moses put upon his head when the brightness of his countenance was 
intolerable by the sinning Hebrews (Kxod. xxxiv.) The sections which had been 
read in Hebrew were rendered by an interpreter into the vernacular, and hence 
arose the sermon or discourse, which, although at present dehvered by one and 
the same person with the reader, is only an amplification of the interpreter's 
part. The reader or some other person then addressed the people. It was on 
such occasions that oiir Lord, during his ministry, and afterwards the apostles, 
taught the gospel; and it was in reference to these opportunities that Jesus 
warned his followers that they would be " put out of the synagogues." The meeting, 
as far as the religious exercises were concerned, was ended with a prayer, to which 
the people responded Amen", when a collection was made for the poor. Synagogues 
were bmlt in imitation of the temple at Jerusalem — that is, each was a quadrangle, 
having in the middle a small chapel on four pillars, standing on an elevated platform, 
on which lay the book of the law, Iji consequence of the needful v,'a,shings, 



84 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



B.C. 536— 515.— :N"eliemia 



synagogues were often built near running water. Synagogues came into existence as 
a consequence of the expansion of Judaism, and spread wherever it gained a footing. 
Their origin cannot be satisfactorily referred to an earlier period than the exile, 
when the Israelites, severed from their temple and scattered abroad in strange 
lands, would naturally meet together for worship, and so become habituated to 
particular localities and provide suitable structures. The practice once introduced 
was perpetuated when they returned to their mother country. In the time of our 
Lord every considerable town in Palestine had its synagogue ; large cities had 
several, and in the capital there were above four hundred. Synagogues were also found 
in the cities of Syria, Asia-Minor, and Europe, which had a Jevnsh population. The 
Talmudists, indeed, assert that wherever were ten free adult Israelites, there ought a 
synagogue to be erected. The duty and cost of building synagogues lay with private 
individuals, and were sometimes voluntarily undertaken by heathens. 

432. Why zcas tlie hook of NeliemiaJi so called ? 
Because it was written by tlie captive Jew of that name, wlio 

was instrumental in restoring? the temple and worship of the 
Israelites after their enslavement in Babylon. 

433. ISTehemiah was held in good repute by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, and 
was his chief cup-bearer. The books of Nehemiah and Ezra concern the same facts, 
and should be considered together. The books of Ezra and ISTehemiah were originally 
combined, and were called the first and second books of Ezra. In their subject- 
matter they are manifestly a continuation one of the other. But they form no 
complete and consecutive narrative. Their aim was not to form a history which 
should continue that of " Kings " and " Chronicles," but to narrate the chief events 
that accompanied the return of the exiles. Lilce all the other writings in the Bible, 
the chief aim and tendency of the books are of a religious nature; and whatever it 
has of history, is only incidental and subsidiary. 

THE LEADING FACTS CONTAINED IN THE BOOKS OF EZKA AND 
NEHEMIAII. 

Cyrus, in the year b. c. 538, that is, in the first of his reign, permits the captive 
Jews to return to their native land, restoring to them the sacred vessels which had 
been taken from the Temple. Having reached Jerusalem, they take steps to restore 
the worship ; build an altar for sacrifice, celebrate the feast of tabernacles, and lay 
the foundation of the temple amid the songs of the young and the tears of the aged, 
who had seen and remembered the splendours of the former house. 

The Samaritans express a desire to take part in the work, but are refused by 
the Jewish leaders ; whereupon they use their influence with the king of Persia, in 
order to interrupt the building. In the reign of Darius Hystaspes, the Jews, under 
the exhortations of their prophets, continue the structure with the special permission 
and assistance of that monarch. Accordingly they bring the temple to a completion, 
dedicate it, and celebrate the passover. Under Artaxerxes Longimanus, Ezra 
proceeds with a second colony to Jerusalem, having in his hands a letter from the 
king ; Ciading that during his absence many mixed marriages had taken place, 
contrary to the Mosaical law, Ezra is filled -with grief, offers to God a penitential 
prayei', and takes measures to remedy the evil, 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 85 



B.C. 536— 515.— The Second Temple. 

Xehemiah hears at Susa of the lamentable condition of the land of his fathers. 
Ilis dejection is noticed by the king, who, upon an inquiry learns the cause, and gives 
his cup-bearer leave to go to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls (Xeh. i. ii.) The Jews 
begin the work, and notwithstanding various hindrances thrown in their way, 
accomphsh their purpose. The people complain of their poverty, and of the 
oppression and usury of the richer Jews, which leads ]S"ehemiah to speak of his o^vn 
disinterestedness, and to compel thena to cease from their evil courses, and to restore 
the property taken in mortgage. The fortifications of the city being completed, 
watchmen are appointed, and the governorship is assigned to Nehemiah's brother, 
Hanani, and to Hananiah, the rviier of the palace. Ezra reads to the people the 
book of the law, the import thereof being expounded to them in the Chaldean 
tongue, -with which alone they were now famihar. Feasts and observances are kept. 
The covenant with God is renewed and sealed. The population of Jerusalem being 
still insuflucieut, it is replenished by drafts from the rm-al districts. Certain lists of 
priests, and the succession of the high jjiiests are then given, the walls are dedicated, 
and the books conclude with rules for organization, and some exhortations. 

THE SECOND TEMPLE. 

On the first building of the temple, Solomon had received letters of congratula- 
tion and good-wiU from all the neighbouring princes and kingdoms; and on the 
setting up of the altar, and the dedication of the house of the Lord, the whole 
kingdom rang with shouts of joy, and aU the neighbouring people rejoiced with 
Israel. But when the remnant of the children of the captivity came back, few in 
nvunber, and broken in spirit, to rebuild a second temple out of the ruins which the 
sins of their nation and its rxilers had brought upon the holy place, they soon found 
that though the first building had been a work of joy and peace, the present one 
would be a work of strife and danger. The Samaritans first sent to say that they 
were of their kindred, and desh'ed to join with them in building. But Zerubbabel 
answered, " You have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God ; but we 
ourselves together wiU build unto the Lord God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of 
Persia hath commanded us." Upon this the Samaritans joined in league with the 
other people of the country, and they hired counsellors in the Persian court to 
intrigue there, that the decree of Cyrus might be reversed. After Cyrus was dead 
(B.C. 539), and in the reign of his son, the Samaritans renewed their intrigues, and 
so far succeeded, that they obtained a decree forbidcUug the work to proceed. This 
took place in (522 B.C.), sixteen years after the date of the decree of Cyrus, It was 
now that Ilaggai and Zechariah appeared and fulfilled their mission. Zerubbabel 
then took courage, and commenced the works anew; upon which the opposition 
from the Samaritans was immediately renewed, and the matter was brought before 
king Darius, who was now on the throne. Darius soon ended the dispute by 
confirming the decree of his grandfather, Cyrus, and by ordering that if any man 
oiFered any more opposition, a beam of wood should be taken out of his house, and 
he should be hanged upon it. Armed with this decree, Zerubbabel pushed forward 
the works of the temple, and at length they were completed in the month Adar, of 
the sixth year of king Darius. The feast of unleavened bread was kept by all the 
people with the greatest joy on the occasion of the solemn dedication of the second 
temxjlc. Thus the work prospered, and waa completed under Zerubbabel. The young 



88 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

B.C. (about) 521— 495.— History of Esther. 

rejoiced ; but the old men, who remembered the first temple, grieved at its curtailed 
splendour and proportions. This second building was only half the size of the first, 
and its naaterials were vastly inferior. 

434. Why is the booh of Esther so called ? 

Because it contains the history of the queen of that name. 

435. Who was the toriter of the hooTc of Esther? 
It is generally supposed to have been Mordecai. 

436. In Esther ix. 20, it is said, " And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent 
letters unto aU the Jews that were in aU the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both 
nigh and far." The Jews have a greater respect for this book than for any of the 
prophets, whose works, they say, will perish at the coming of the Messiah ; whereas 
this will subsist with the books of Moses, and the feast of purim (Esther ix. 21) will 
never be abolished. 

437. What is the date of the events narrated in the hooJc 
of Jisther ? 

It is not agreed whether these events happened before or 
after the Babylonian captivity ; but it is now commonly 
supposed that Esther was married to Darius Hystaspes, am. 
3489, about the time of the dedication of the temple. 

433. He had been upon the throne of Persia and Media six years, and he reigned 
thirty years more. Josephus differs from other authors, thinking that Esther was 
the queen of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who was a great friend of the Jews. 

439. What were the circumstances that led to the elevation 
of Esther ? 

King Ahasuerus gave a great feast to his priuces and nobles ; 
when merry with wine, he sent his royal chamberlain to the 
apartments of Vashti, his queen, inviting her presence, beiog 
desirous "to show the princes and people her beauty and 
magnificence." 

440. Why did Vashti refuse to appear ? 

^rom a haughty contempt of the king's request, and a wish 
to exhibit her independence of his authority. 

441. WJiy did the hing depose her for this refusal to appear 1 
Because it was represented to Ahasuerus that the bad 

example of queen Yashti would influence the domestic manners 
of the whole Persian empire, and that hence the Persian women 
would be insubordinate to their husbands. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 87 



B.C. (about) 521— 49-5.— History of Esther. 



442. Soio was Esther introduced to Icing Ahasuerus 1 
When the dexDOsition of Vashti was completed, a successor 

in tlie king's favour was sought for ; and by the providence 
of God, Esther was brought forward. 

443. Many candidates for tlie vacant throne of Vashti were, through the diligence 
of the king's officers, found j out of these, Ahasuerus was to make his choice. 
Among the dwellers in Shushan the palace, there was a certain Jew, whose name 
was Mordecai, the son of Jair, a Benjamite — a captain whom Nebuchadnezzar, the 
king of Babylon, had carried away ; with him was Esther, an orphan, the daughter 
of his uncle, who had been brought up by him, and the maid was fair and beautiful- 
" So it came to pass, that when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, 
and when many maidens w^ere gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the 
custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the 
custody of Hegai, the keeper of the women " (Esther ii. 8) . Finally, the king 
prefers Esther to all the candidates for his favour, "And the king loved Esther 
above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight, more than all 
the virgins ; so that he set the royal crown upon her liead, and made her queen 
instead of Vashti" (Esther ii. 17). 

441. Why did Mordecai refuse to botv to JSaman, when the 
latter was advanced hy the Tcing to a high dignity? 

Because Haman was an Amalekite, to whom no Jew could 
offer any act of obeisance without forfeiting his self-esteem. 

415. The Hebrews had once sworn to exterminate the Amalekites, and to the 
extent of their means they had done so. The power of that people had been broken 
and reduced to nought by them, and their hate was not yet appeased ; this one 
captive <f ew was the exponent of the feeling of his whole nation, and it is probable 
that his hopes of the future restoration of Israel through the influence of Esther 
may have actuated Mordecai upon the present occasion. 

446. Wliy did not Hainan at once seelc the ^punishment 
of Mordecai ? 

Because he counted it as insufficient for his revenge to lay 
hands upon him only, and sought to destroy all the Jews that 
were in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. 

4i7. With this view, he went home and drew lots from an urn, to determine in 
what month the nation of the Jews was to be destroyed. The lot came out for the 
twelfth month, which is called Adar. He then went to the king, and representing to 
him that there was in his dominions a people that had laws and ceremonies unlike aU 
other people, and that they were noted for being rebellious against Icings, he urged 
that it was expedient for the safety of the king's empire that they should be 
destroyed. In this manner he obtained letters fi'om Ahasuerus to the effect that on 
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month the people should everywhere rise up to kill 



88 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. (about) 521— 495.— History of Esther. 



and destroy the Jews, both young and old, women and Httle children, in one day, and 
to make a spoil of their goods. The couriers that were sent out made haste to fulfil 
the ]j:ing's commandment. And immediately the edict was hung up in Shushan, the 
king and Haman feasting together, and all the Jews that were in the city weeping. 

4i8. Wliy did Mordecai, lolien he heard of the edict, rend 
his clothes, cover himself with sackcloth, and sit at the gate 
of the Icing's palace ? 

Because he concluded that thus he should attract the notice 
of the king's servants, who would report his behaviour to 
queen Esther. 

449. Word was accordingly soon carried to her that Mordecai sat mourning at 
the king's gate. Esther sent to know the reason. Mordecai sent in reply a report 
of aU that had happened, and gave her messenger a copy of the edict. Esther, on 
receiving this, understood what was required of her, and sent answer to Mordecai 
that he must know that it would be death to her to go into the inner palace to the 
king, except the king should hold out the golden sceptre in token of clemency, and 
that she had not been called to the king for thirty days. 

At Mordecai's reiterated request, Esther consents to infringe the law and to 
intrude upon the privacy of the king, should he fail to hold out to her the 
golden sceptre. 

450. Why did Ahasuerus invite Esther to his presence ? 
Because the Jews and Esther having implored the blessing 

of God by a solemn fast of three days and nights, the heart of 
the king was secretly moved to do so. 

451. On the third day Esther attired herself in her royal ajtparel, and trembling 
as she passed through the suite of apartments, she presented herself to the king. 
She pleased his eyes, and he extended to her the golden sceptre, and said to her, 
"What wilt thou, queen Esther, what is thy request.? If thou shonldest ask one 
half of the kingdom it shall be given thee." Esther answered by requesting that 
the king and Haman would come to a banquet which she had prepared. The king 
graciously assented, and word was sent to Haman in the palace, who made haste to 
join the king at the banquet. Esther, however, did not then make her request 
knovm, but promised to do so on the following day, if the king and Haman would 
accept from her a second banquet. 

452. Why did Haman cause a galloi^s fifty cuhits high to 
be erected for Mordecai ? 

Because he flattered himself that the high favour in which 
he now stood with both the king and queen would enable him 
to do whatever he pleased with his enemy. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 89 



B.C. (about) 521— 495.— History of Esther. 



453. He boasted before his wife and friends of bis riches and greatness, and 
that Esther the queen had again invited none but himself to the second banquet. 
But nevertheless all this honour would be as nothing so long as the Jew Mordecai 
sat unmoved at the king's gate. 

454. IVhat particular circumstance turned the scale in 
Mordecai s favour ? 

He had been so fortunate as to overhear the treasonable 
conversation of tvro officers of the royal household. A plot to 
assassinate Ahasuerus was thus frustrated ; for Mordecai 
immediately communicated the intelligence to the king, and 
the traitors were hanged. 

455. The night following Esther's first banquet was passed by the king in 
sleeplessness. He accordingly, to divert the time, had the records of the empire 
read aloud to him. 

Here the providence of God directed the readers to that portion which gave an 
account of the treasonable attempt frustrated by Mordecai. The king asked with 
roused attention what reward had been given to this faithful subject. It was 
rephed, " He hath received no reward at all." 

At this moment Haman was coming through the palace gate to proffer to the 
king his request that Mordecai might be hanged upon the gallows. The king, upon 
the entrance of Haman, put the question to him, ""V^Tiat should be done to the 
man whom the king has a mind to honour ? " Haman, thinking that of all men 
deserving of honour he was the most eminent, answers, " The man whom the king 
delighteth to honour shoiUd be clothed with the king's apparel, be set upon the 
king's horse, have a royal crown put upon his head, the first princes and nobles 
of the land should hold the bridle of his charger, and proclamation should be made 
before him through the streets of the city. Thus shall it be done to the man 
whom the king delighteth to honour." 

At the king's command, which admitted of no dispute, Haman had to arise, 
array Mordecai the Jew, and carry out to the very letter the terms he had 
prescribed for himself. 

456. What loas the end of Haman ? 

He was, upon the discovery of his plot to the king by 
Esther, ordered to be hanged upon the gallows which he had 
prepared for Mordecai. 

457. IVhy ivias the edict against the Jeios rendered 
innocuous ? 

Because of the great influence of Esther with king 
Ahasuerus. 

458. Mordecai was now called, and received from the king the ring which he 
had commanded to be taken from Haman. Esther confessed to the king thf.t 



90 THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 



B.C. (about) 1520.— The Book of Job. 



Mordeeai was her uncle ; sbe threw herself at the feet of Ahasuerus and entreated 
that all measures taken against her people might be stopped. But by the laws of 
the kingdom no edict that had gone out with the king's seal affixed thereto could be 
reversed. Therefore the king assented that letters should be written in his name 
empowering the Jews everywhere to defend themselves should they be attacked. 
And when the thii-teenth day of the month came, the princes and governors, 
knowing Mordeeai to be a Jew and a prince of the palace, in great power, in all 
cities and villages favoured the Jews, so that when they were attacked, instead of 
being overcome they achieved a most triumphant victory over their enemies. 

459. Wliy was the feast of Purim instituted ? 

To commemorate this most signal interposition of God in 
belialf of his scattered people. 

460. Accordingly, from that time to the present hour, the Jews, under every 
vicissitude of fortune, have kept the feast of the foiu-teenth and fifteenth days 
of the month, and there is no name among them more honoured than that 
of Esther. 

461. Who was the author of the hooh of Job ? 

It is rather uncertain by whom this book was written. 
Some attribute it to Moses ; some to Job himself; some to 
one of the prophets. Tbe point is immaterial. 

462. Who toas Job ? 

He is supposed to have been of the race of Esau, and 
the same person as is mentioned in Genesis xxxvi. 33. 

463. The tune that Job lived is also a matter of doubt, but it is probable 
that it was while the Israelites groaned under the Egyptian bondage, or sojourned 
in the wUderness. The object of the book is to show that sometimes the wicked 
prosper, while the good are plunged in affliction. Like the rest of the Old Testa- 
ment, it has a literal and an allegorical meaning. The style is very poetical, though, 
at the same time, simple, hke that of Moses. It is supposed that a great portion 
of the book of Job has been lost. St. Jerome, whose authority is great, says about 
eight hundred verses have disappeai-ed. 

HISTOEY OF THE BOOK OF JOB. 
Job is represented as a dweller in the land of Uz ; an upright man, one that 
feared God, and eschewed evil. He is a kind of petty prince, in the kingdom of 
Edom. His substance is great, his family num^erous, his happiness complete. 
Job is as sohcitous for his children's souls as for their bodies ; hence he rises early 
to offfer sacrifices for them; for Job said, " Lest, x^erhaps, my sons have sinned, and 
cursed God. Thus did Job continually." But the enemy of God and man, Satan, 
is envious of Job's felicity. He insinuates, before the angelic court, that Job does 
not serve God for nought — that he finds godliness profitable, and so is godly. The 
enemy obtains leave to prove the patriarch, by sending afflictions upon him — he 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 91 



B.C. (about) 1320.— The Boole of Psalms. 



may take from liim his wealth, his children, his friends, everything, except his life. 
The book then narrates how this is done, and Avith what effect. Job, in the midst 
of all his cruel persecutions, still blesses God, 

The most exquisite tortures, the reproaches of his wife, and the Iccturings of 
his pretended friends, fail to shake his faith and confidence in the Di-sdne goodness. 

When stripped of eyerything, and sitting diseased upon adust-heap, and sunk to 
the lowest depths of human distress, he exclaims, " The Lord gave and the Lord 
hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." 

The main portion of the book is taken up with the sad reflections of Job upon the 
calamities to which man is naturally subject. He complains not of his own case ; 
he justifies God in his providence ; the remonstrances of his friends and Job's 
replies are subbme examples of the power of diction. 

The judgment of the All-wise is invoked by Job. This is given; for God 
appears in a whirlvAriud, and- without taking part in the views of either Job or his 
friends, awakens a sense of his impotence and short-sightedness in the heart of 
Job, who, in consequence, humbles himself still more under the mighty hand of 
his Creator. Tliis conduct is approved, while the three friends are severely con- 
demned. Eecompense is made to Job. A social feast ensues ; after which Job 
lives one hundred and forty years, in great abundance and high repute. "He had 
seven sons and three daughters, and in aU the land were no women found so fair as 
the daughters of Job," (Job xlii. 13—15.) 

464. Why was the hooh of Job written 1 

Bishop Lowth is of opinion that the principal object of 
the poem — for this book takes the highest form of poetry — is 
the third and last trial of Job, from the unkindness and in- 
justice of his accusing friends ; the consequence of which is, 
in the first place, the anger, indignation, and contumacy of 
Job, and aftervrards his composure, submission, and penitence. 
The design of the book is therefore to show men, that having 
a due respect to the corruption, infirmity, and ignorance of 
human nature, as well as to the infinite wisdom and majesty 
of God, they are to reject all confidence in their own strength 
and righteousness, and to preserve, on all occasions, an 
unswerving and unsullied faith, submitting, with becoming 
reverence, to the Divine decrees.* 

465. Why is the hooTc of Fsalms so called ? 

Because written to be sung : the word psalm being inter- 
preted to mean a musical instrument. 

466. According to Venerable Bede, the word psalter is derived from an in- 
strument of ten strings, resembling the Greek letter A. 

* Lowth's "Lectures on Hebrew Poetry." 



92 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



The Book of Proverbs. 

467. Why is the authorship of the Fsalms ascribed to 
David ? 

1. Because it is known that David, not being permitted 
to build the Temple, made very great preparations for its 
erection by liis son ; among wliicli preparations was tlie 
training of four thousand singers, by two hundred and eighty- 
eight masters of music. 2. Because his name is affixed to the 
majority of them. 3. Because others, without his name ap- 
pended, were quoted as David's by our Saviour and the 
apostles. 

468. Tlie Psalms are called by the Hebrews Sephek tehillim, "Books of 
Hymns," or "Praises." This title being considered by the seventy translators 
not quite appropriate, they called them Psalmoi — ^psahns or lyrical odes — ^that is, 
odes, to be accompanied with music. The word psalter is the same as " psaltery," 
so frequently mentioned in the book, " a stringed instrument." 

469. W7iy are some of tlie JPsalms inscribed " of Asaph," 
" of Seman," etc. ? 

Because in all probability these Psalms were directed to 
them, as the persons charged to sing, or to see that they were 
sung. 

470. The question of the authorship of the Psalms has been much discussed. The 
Fathers of the Church are divided in opinion upon the subj ect ; some of them regarding 
David as their sole author, others looking upon him as their editor. The authorship 
of a few has been ascribed to Moses, of others to Ezra. The question is unimportant, 
since they are aU. equally the result of inspiration. Dr. Kitto says : " There is 
scarcely any book of the Old Testament of which the Divine inspiration and canonical 
authority are established by more satisfactory and complete evidence. The e^ddence 
from the New Testament alone is abundant; for the book is there quoted and 
referred to as divine by Christ and his apostles, no less than seventy times. 
The Divine authority of some of the books of the Old Testament has, on 
various grounds, been impugned by persons who have admitted the inspiration of 
the other books, and have not questioned the general fact of Divine revelation; 
but the authority of the Psalms has not been questioned by any who have faith 
in the sacred character of any part of the Scripture. The eminently practical character 
of the Psalms, their beautiful and touching utterance of feeling to which every 
devout heart responds, has rendered the book i^eculiarly dear to the pious in all 
ages. 

471. Why is the book of Proverbs so named ? 

Because it consists of wise and weighty sentences, regu- 
lating the morals of men, and directing them to wisdom and 
virtue. 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 93 



Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. 



472. These sentences are also called parables, because great truths are often 
couched in them under certain figures and similitudes. 

4173. W7ii/ is the existence of the hook of Proverbs a strong 
evidence of the truth of revelation generally ? 

Because the wonderful amount of knowledge and wisdom 
embodied in them is a direct proof that Solomon, their author, 
received tlie gift which he was promised by God, 

474. The book of Proverbs is thorouglily ancient and oriental in its character, 
but it is distinguished from aU other examples by its thoroughly religious tone. 
"The fear of the Lord (religion and piety) is the beginning of knowledge." This 
golden truth is the great burden of the book. It stands as part of a brief intro- 
duction (Prov. i. 1 — 9), which, with less brevity, states what the reader has before 
him ; and at the end, assuming the tone of a parent, exhorts him to love and pursue 
religious truth as not only highly useful, but pre-eminently ornamental. With the 10th 
Verse begins the first and chief collection of maxims, which extends to chap. xxii. 16. 
K'ext foUows a less collection, xxii. 17, xxiv. 22. A few proverbs ensue, xxiv. 23 — 34. 
Then comes a more ample gathering of wise words, xxv. — ^xxix. This body of didactic 
poetry concludes with three short appendices. (1.) " The words of Agur, the son of 
Jakeh, \he prophecy." (2.) "The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his 
mother taught him." (3.) We then have a beautiful picture of an oriental housewife. 

475. Wliy is the hook of " Ecclesiatses,'" or the preacher, 
so called ? 

Because the author, Solomon, "the son of David, king 
of Jerusalem," shows, by a series of forcible exhortations, the 
vanity of the world and the necessity of religion. 

476. The title is taken from the Septuagint. Its Hebrew name is of similar 
import, meaning " a preacher," or on^ who addresses an assembly. Although the 
name of Solomon does not occur in the book, the general opinion, in aU ages, has 
ascribed it to hitn. The tradition of the Jews states that Solomon composed this 
work in his old age, after he had repented of his former vicious practices, and had 
become, by sad experience, fully convinced of the vanity of everything terrestrial, 
except piety and wisdom. Many parts of the work itself corroborates this view. 
The acknowledgment of foUy and sin, on the part of its author, implies that it was 
composed after he had apostatized from G-od, and had subsequently repented of his 
past conduct. Indeed, the book bears strong internal proof of what we elsewhere 
learn about king Solomon. 

477. What is the nature of the hook entitled " The Song 
of Solomon ?" 

It forms one of the canonical books of the Old Testament 
--was written by the king whose name it bears— and, under 



91 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

B.C. (about) 760.— The Prophet Isaiah. 

the figure of a marriage, typifies the intimate relation sub- 
sisting between Christ and his Church. 

478. The book is quoted in the New Testament. (See Matt. ix. 15 ; xxii, 2; 
John iii. 29 ; 2 Cor. xi. 2, etc. To be fully understood and appreciated, requires 
a studious and enlightened mind. This is, doubtless, one of those portions of the 
sacred writings, which, according to St. Peter (2 Peter iii. 16), are converted by 
"the unlearned and unstable unto their own destruction." 

479. Why is Isaiah called the Evangelical Prophet ? 

Because of the number and variety of his prophecies con- 
cerning the advent and character, the ministry, the sufferings 
and death of Christ, as also the planting and permanent ex- 
tension of his kingdom, 

480. So explicit and determinate are his predictions, in reference to the person 
and passion of Christ, as well as so numerous, that he seems to speak rather of 
things past than of events yet future ; hence he may be called an evangelist rather 
than a prophet. No one, indeed, can be at a loss in applying these prophecies to 
the events of the Gospel history. 

481. Why is Isaiah sometimes called the P?nnce of all th 
'Prophets 1 

Because his book abounds with such transcendant excel- 
lences, that it affords the most perfect model of prophetic 
poetry ; and the dignity of his subject exceeds tiiose of all 
the other prophets put together. 

482. Isaiah is so little known as to his personal history, that it is difficult to 
make out a connected chain that shall show his character and mission upon the 
ordinary plan. He exercised his prophetical office in the days of Uzziah, Jothani, 
Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. It is inferred from Isa. vi. 1, compared \Tith 
vii. 1, that he did not begin his work till the year that king Uzziah died (b.c. 752), 
and as he appears to have been alive in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, his public 
ministry lasted for about half a century. With a view to give eflect to his 
teachings he was accustomed to wear mean, unsightly, and uncomfortable clothing 
(Isa. XX. 2). His ordinary abode was Jerusalem; and he was probably twice 
married. By his first wife he had a son who was called Shear-jasliub (tlie remainder 
%cill turti). His second wife, called also "the prophetess," bore him another son, 
to whom was given the symbolical name of Maher-shalal-hash-baz {hasten the 
booty! quick to theprei/!), as indicative that before the child should be old enough 
to call its parents by their names, the enemies of Judah, namely Syria and 
Samaria, should be vanquished and plundered, i nother name, Immanuel, was 
given to the child, in token of the intervention o** fJod for the dehveranee of his 
people 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 95 

E.G. (about) 630.— The Prophet Jeremiah. 

Isaiah's religious instructions were addressed chiefly to Judah and Jerusalem, 
yet he turned his prophetic eye on neighbouring lands. Under Jotham, whose reign 
was in general prosperous, Isaiah had httle other duty than to enforce morul 
principles. The weakness and idolatry of Ahaz called forth greater exertions from 
the prophet, who manifests pohtieal wisdom and zeal. Chiefly, however, in the first 
half of Hezekiah's reign, did he employ his now mature powers for the high rehgious, 
moral, and political ends which it was the aim of his life to promote. A diversely- 
related tradition makes him to have sufiered a death of violence under Manasseh 
(698 — 6i3). According to this account Isaiah was sawn asunder by order of the 
idolatrous monarch. 

483. IVJii/ is the hooh of tlie JPropJiecies of Isaiah a strong 
proof of the authenticity of the lohole Bihle ? 

Because of the complete fulfilment of those prophecies ; a 
result which no human power could have brought about, and 
which fulfilment the entire page of history sacred or profane 
establishes. 

484. The clear and satisfactory accomplishment of Isaiah's predictions place his 
authority and inspiration beyond doubt. He foretold the captivities of Israel and 
Judah, and described the ruin and desolation of Babylon, Tyre, and other nations. 
He called Cyrus by his name, and described his conquests and conduct towards the 
Jews above 200 years before the birth of that king. But his prophecies concerning 
the Messiah seem almost to anticipate the Gospel narrative. In these he describes 
the Divine character of Jesus Christ ; his appearance ; his peculiar qualities and 
virtues; his rejection; the very cu'cumstances of liis passion and death; and, 
finally, his resurrection and the triumph of his kingdom, 

485. Why were the Prophecies of Jeremiah given? 
Because of the idolatrous apostasy and other criminal 

enormities of the people of Judah, and the severe judgments 
which God was prepared to inflict upon those who remained 
obstinate. 

486. The cai)tivity of Judah, together with a distant j)rospect of future favour 
and deliverance, form the subjects of the book of Jeremiah. An exception to this, 
however, is found in the 45th chapter, which relates to Baruch, .and the six 
succeeding chapters, which regard the fortunes of some particular heathen nations. 
He foretold the fate of Zedekiah, the Babylonish captivity, the XDrecise time of its 
duration, and the return of the Jews. He foreshowed the miraculous conception oi 
Christ, the virtue of his atonement, the spiritual character, and the inward efiicacy 
of his laws. His reputation has spread among many eastern nations, and heathen 
wi'iters have borne testimony to his accurate historical descriptions. 

487. Why is the name of Jeremiah generally associated toith 
a feeling of sadness ? 

Because of tlie prevailing character of those prophecies 



96 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY 



B.C. 630.— Hebrew Expressions of Grief. 



M'liicli it was his mission to declare to the Jews aud other 
nations. 

438, The word " Jeremiad " is hence derived. The book containing them is only- 
second, however, in importance to that of Isaiah, which it follows. The language of 
Jeremiah is scarcely so grand as that of his great predecessor, but the reason of 
this may be that he is mostly taken up with the gentler passions of grief and pity, 
for the expression of which Jeremiah had a peculiar talent. He had an irresistible 
sympathy with the miserable, Avhich found utterance in the most touching 
descriptions of their condition. His book of Lamentations is an astonishing 
exhibition of his power to accumulate images of sorrOAV. There can be no doubt, 
from the instance of Jeremiah, that God raises up particular minds for special 
works, to which they are by his providence specially adapted. 

489. Why did the ancients streio ashes upon their heads as a 
token of mourning ? 

Because ashes have, from the earliest times, symbolized 
human fraiit\', deep humiliation, and mortality. 

490. ISTot only from Genesis to the last book in the Bible, but throughout all 

ancient literature, we find the custom 
alluded to. Homer, Virgil, and Ovid 
frequently introduce the circumstance ; 
to be unkempt, and to sprinkle dust 
iipon the hair is, indeed, an uni- 
versal emblem of a disturbed mind — 
the direct antithesis of joj', which is 
shown by washing and anointing the 
head. 

JRending the garments had the same 
signification, and for the same reason, 
because nothing indicates a low or 
abject state, whether mentally or 
materially, than the a.pj)earance in 
torn or ragged garments. A person 
who should make his entry into a 
' company in this guise would excite 
\ either pity or derision. 

Bending the garments was some- 
times expressive of a different kind o 
passion. In secular history we have 
ma.ny instances. Dion. Cassius re- 
lates that the consul Paulus rent his 
garments through indignation. Csesar 
does the same when about to appease 
the raultitude. Augustus rends his gar- 
ment at the proposal of the dictator- 
ship , and he is said to have done the 
RENDING 1HK GAS5IENTS, fiijme on hearing of the defeat of Tarus 




THE DliiLICAL EEASOX AVHY. 97 



B.C. 629— 530.— Histoiy of Jeremiah. 



The zvearing of sackcloth had a similar meaning, and was generally an 
accompaniment of the two preceding methods of expressing great grief or com- 
punction. The term is derived from two purely Hebrew words, and has sprecta 
into aU languages. The prophets were generally clothed in sackcloth. In tmies 
of great trouble, in penitence, the Jews universally put on sackcloth. The article 
itself was of a coarse bla<;k fabric, commonly made of hair. Hence, haircloth as 
worn by ascetics, and even kings, in the middle ages. 

HISTORY OF JEEEMLIH. 

The name of this pi'ophet signifies " raised up," or " appointed by God." He 
was the son of Hilkiah, a priest of Anathoth, ia the land of Benjamin. Jeremiah 
was very young when the word of the Lord first came to him (Jer. i. G). This 
event took place in the thirteenth year of Josiah (s. c. 629), whilst the youthful 
prophet still lived at Anathoth. It would seem that he remained in his native city 
several years ; but at length, in order to escape the persecution of his fellow- 
townsmen, and even of his own family, as well as to have a wider field for his 
exertions, he went to Jerusalem. Encouraged by Jeremiah, King Josiah conmienced 
numerous thorough reforms; he broke down the groves and the idols, and restored 
the true worship. He ordered large repairs of the temple to be carried out, and the 
money, which the priests had diverted to their own uses, to be given to the workmen. 
During the j)rogres3 of these repairs, a copy of the law of Moses was found in the 
temple by Hilkiah the priest, and Shaphan the scribe, who brought it to Josiah. 
The king, greatly moved by a perusal of this document, sought to enforce its precepts 
upon his wayward peoj)le. The effect, whatever it might be, was but transient, and 
uv)ou the death of Josiah it was totally obliterated. His successor, Jehoiakim, was a 
man of a different stamp. He had been upon the throne but a few days, when the 
apostate priests and people were emboldened to seize the j)erson of Jeremiah, to lead 
him before the tribunals, and to demand his blood in return for the denunciations 
which he, as a prophet of Jehovah, had been commissioned to deliver. 

It appears, however, that it was owing to the personal influence of one or 
two of the king's councillors rather than to any feehng generally favourable to 
Jeremiah on the part of the king, that his life was presen-ed. He was thi-ust into 
prison, or, as he says (Jer. xxxvi. 5), "shut up," aij.i obliged to continue his 
denunciations tln"ough the medium of a deputy. This deputy he found in the 
prophet Baruch, who wrote the predictions from Jeremiah's dictation, and then 
intrepidly read them in public to the Jews upon the fast-day. But the conduct of 
Baruch was not long in exciting the anger of Jehoiakim ; and Jeremiah, who had 
obtained his liberty, was, with his scribe, advised to hide himself. 

The writings of Jeremiah, and which Baruch had pubhcly read, were procured 
by the king, and by him pubhcly burnt. Upon which occasion the Scripture 
narrative adds, "and the king and aU his servants and the priests were not afi-aid, 
nor did they rend their gai-ments." In fact, they had become case-hardened. 
The following year ]N"ebuchadDezzar came with his army, and Jehoialdm heading a 
saUy of the garrison lost his life, and his dead body lay as Jeremiah had predicted, 
" rotten, and cast forth without the gates of Jerusalem." 

The Assyrian army under ]Yebuchadnezzar was, in consequence of a diversion 
from the side of Egypt, withdrawn frnin Jiide.i. but returned agrtin m three uionths. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 629— 580.— The Captivity in Babylon, 



Meantime, Jehoiachin, a son of the late Mug, had been proclaimed, but immediately 
submitted to the Assyrians ; spite of which, he was deposed by Ifebuchadnezzar, and 
replaced by Zedekiah his brother. The principal inhabitants of Jerusalem were now 
led away into Babylon, and the seventy years' captivity commenced. The Jews felt 
humbled and weakened, but their pride was still too strong to aUow them to bear the 
notion of being subject to Babylon. A revolt was meditated; Jeremiah was 
consulted, to learn what might be its probable issue. True to his mission, the 
prophet forbade them to hope for success, but bade them humble themselves before 
God. This advice was regarded as an insult. Jeremiah was looked upon as a 
traitor, and cast into prison. 

An incident occurred at this juncture which illustrates the character of the 
Hebrew king and people. Before the revolt, to give his policy the appearance of a 
religious act, Zedekiah made a solemn covenant with God to keep his laws, and the 
princes set all their brethren free who had become slaves from debt. The King of 
Egypt, by a tacit agreement with Zedekiah, appeared before the Assyrian camp, 
which caused Nebuchadnezzar for a moment to raise the siege of Jerusalem. Hei-e- 
upon Zedekiah, making sure that the Assyrians would never return, and thinking 
that now he and his people were no longer in danger from them, seized upon 
their released bondsmen, and abandoned all their promises and covenants. Of 
course the enemy returned ; and when once more they saw that Nebuchadnezzar 
was upon them, they could comfort themselves in no other way than by ordering 
Jeremiah to be cast into a pit, to die of starvation. The end of Zedekiah. is known. 
A captive in Babylon, he was condemned to Avitness the mutilation and death of his 
two sons, to be followed by his own. He died in Babylon, B.C. 580. 

Notwithstanding the sentence of Zedeldah, Jeremiah survived to behold the 
sad fulfilment of aU his darkest predictions. He witnessed all the horrors of the 
famine, and when that had done its work, the triumph of the enemy. He saw the 
strongholds of Zion east down, the palace of Solomon, the temple of God, with all 
its courts, its roofs of cedar and of gold, levelled to the earth, or committed to the 
Qames, and the sacred vestments and vessels pillaged by profane hands. What 
were the feelings of a patriotic and religious Jew at that tremendous crisis, he has 
left on record in his unrivalled elegies, which combine the truth of history with the 
deepest pathos of poetry. 

No sooner were the words of Jeremiah justified by the judgment that came on 
Jerusalem, than the remnant which remained behind assembled to consult him 
whether they should stay in Judea or go down to Egypt. Jeremiah answered them 
from God, that whoever should stay peaceably in Judea, subject to the Chaldeans, 
would save his life; but whoever should go down to Egypt should die there by the 
sword of the Chaldeans. The people to whom he gave this answer again accused 
him of being a traitor, and elected to go to Egypt, and to take Jeremiah with them. 
In Egypt, Jeremiah had good occasion to renew his denunciations. He found the 
scattered Jews there given up to all the abominations of the heathen, and 
accordingly warned them of the anger of God. The general tenor of their reply 
may be summed up in their own words, "As for the word thou hast spoken to us 
in the name of the Lord, we wiU not hearken to thee." With this ended the 
prophet's ministry. He appears to have died of grief during the captivity in 
E^ypt. 



THE BIBLICAL ItEASON WHY. 99 



B.C. 629— 580.— The Prophet Ezekiel. 

491. What are the Lamentations ? 

The J are the work of the prophet Jeremiah, and deplore, 
in a series of pathetic strains, the accomplishment of those 
prophecies already littered by him. 

492. The Lamentations were written in metre, and consist of plaintive 
effusions, composed upon the plan of the funeral dirges, all upon the same subject, 
and uttered as they rose in the mind ot the prophet. They were subsequently 
arranged as we at present see them. The Lamentations are naturally divided into 
five parts, each of which is a distinct elegy, consisting of twenty-two periods, 
corresponding with the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. In the first 
four elegies the several periods commence, as an acrostic, with the different letters 
following each other in alphabetical order. In the first, second, and fourth elegy, 
Jeremiah addresses the people in his own person, or else personifies Jerusalem, and 
introduces that city as a character ; the third part is supposed to be uttered by a 
chorus of Jews, represented by their leader ; and in the fifth, the whole nation oi 
the Jews, on being led into captivity, pour forth their united complaints to 
Almighty Grod. The Lamentations were written subsequently to the subversion o{ 
the kingdom of Judah. 

493. W/ii/ toas the projphet Ezekiel raised tqj ? 

For a purpose very similar to that of his contemporary 
Jeremiah. 

494. Ezekiel was carried away captive to Babylon with Jehoiachin, King of 
Judah (B.C. 593), and was placed, with many others of his coimtrymen, upon the 
river Chebar, in Mesopotamia, where he was favoured with the divine revelations 
contained in his book. 

This book may be considered under the five following divisions : — The first three 
chapters describe the glorious appearance of God to the prophet, and his solemn 
appointment to his office, with instructions and encouragements for the discharge 
of it. From the fourth to the twenty-fourth inclusive, he describes, under a variety 
of visions and similitudes, the calamities impending over Judea, and the total 
destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem by JSTebuchadnezzar, occasionally 
predicting another period of stiU greater desolation and more general dispersion 
(the final siege and fall of Jerusalem under Titus) . From the beginning of the 
twenty-fifth to the end of the thirty-second chapter, the prophet foretells the 
conquest and ruin of many nations and cities, which had insulted the Jews in their 
affliction ; of the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Edomites, and Philistines ; of Tyre, 
of Sidon, and Egypt; all of which were to be punished by the same mighty 
instrument of God's wrath (the Eomans). From the thirty-second to the fortieth 
chapter, he inveighs against the accumulated sins of the Jews collectively, and the 
murmuring spirit of his captive brethren; exhorts them earnestly to repent of their 
hypocrisy and wickedness, iipon the assurance that God will accept sincere 
repentance; and comforts them vrith promises of approaching deliverance under 
Cyrus, subjoining intimations of some far more glorious, but distant, redempti(m 
under the Messiah, though the maimer in wliich it is to be elFected is deeply 
involved in mystery. The last nine chapters contain a remai-kable vision of the 



100 THE BTBLICAL REASON WHY. 



B.C. 629-580.— The Prophet Daniel. 



structure of a new temple and a new polity, applicable, in the first instance, to the 
return from the Babylonian captivity, but in its ultimate sense referring to the 
plory and prosperity of the universal church of Christ, It ought also to be 
observed, that the last twelve chapters of this book bear a very strong resemblance 
to the concluding chapters of the " Eevelation." 

495. Why is the jpropheci) of EzeJciel concerning Egypt 
remarjcahle ? 

Because it is witliin the power of the most ordinary ob- 
server to test its complete fulfilment. 

Thisprophecy is as follows : — "I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land 
into the hand of the wicked ; and I wiH make the land waste and aR that is therein, 
by the hand of strangers. I the Lord have spoken it." 

" Thus saith the Lord God, I wiU also destroy the idols, and I wiU cause their 
images to cease out of Noph ; and there shall be no more a prince o'f the land of 
Egypt. It shall be the basest of the nations, neither shaU it exalt itself any more 
above the nations : for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the 
nations. The young men of Aven and Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword, and 
these cities shall go into captivity." (Chaptei'S xxix. sxx.) 

The kingdom of Egypt, of which the prophet spoke thus, was at the time a 
rival of the kingdom of Assyria, excelling in learning, and commerce, and manu- 
factures. Its temples and priests were famous aU over the world ; its armies were 
well appointed ; and, to aU appearance, nothing was less likely than the accom- 
plishment of this prophecy. And yet it has been literally fulfilled. Assyria subdued 
it, and afterwards it became subject to the Ptolemies — Greek adventurers, who 
settled in it, and kept the people in subjection. Then it became a Eoman province. 
Next it passed under the Arabian caliphs, and now it is a i^acIiaHc of the Turkisli 
empire. The condition of the inhabitants is so degraded, that, in the country 
which was formerly the granary of the world, tliere are not now more than a couple 
of tillages where the people know how to make bread. 

The ruins of its temples and idols are still standing, but the present inhabitants 
know nothing of their history. 

496. Why is the hook of Daniel so called? 

Because it contains an account of those years of the 
Babylonian captivity with which the acts and prophecies of 
Daniel are connected. 

497. Who teas Daniel? 

He was one of the children of the captivity (b.c. 605), taken 
at an early age into the household of JSTebuchadnezzar. 

498. The book of Daniel states that, in the third year of Jehoialdm, King of 
Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, came and besieged Jerusalem ; that he 
♦-ook the city, sacking it, and conveying away a portion of the sacred vessels from 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 101 



B.C. 629— 580— The Fiery Furnace. 



the temple, " which he carried into the land of Shinar, to the house of his god j" 
that moved by the beauty and intelligence of the Jewish children, he chose to order 
certain of them to be taken to his palace, and educated in all the learning and 
science of the Chaldeans. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and 
Azariah. These youths, however, had from their earliest days been faithful to the 
laws of God, and now refused to be defiled with the meats from the king's table, 
knomng that they had been offered to idols. God gave them great vnsdom, and 
inclined the hearts of their masters towards them ; and their wit and penetration 
was such, that they were serviceable to N'ebuchadnezzar in the difficult affairs of 
his kingdom. In the second year of his reign this king had a dream of such a 
nature that his spirit was terrified, and notwithstanding its evident importance, the 
particulars of it went from his mind. His soothsayers and divining men are apphed 
to to reveal the dream and its interpretation ; but these conjui-ors are at fault. 
If the king wiU tell them his dream, they vrill undertake to interpret it ; but this 
N'ebuchadnezzar cannot do, and their remonstrances are met by the most terrible 
threats. 

499. Soiu did tJiese threats concern Daniel and Ms 
companions ? 

They Lad been ranked witli tlie magicians and astro- 
logers, all of whom were included in the anger of ISTebu- 
chadnezzar. 

500. Daniel, hearing of the cruel command of the king, ordering the magicians 
to be put to death, went to Arioch, the general of the army, and requested time 
to solve the question, and declare it to the king. He then returned to his house, 
and told the matter to his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, bidding 
them to ask the mercy of the Gcd of heaven concerning the secret. The same 
night this was revealed to Daniel; he returned thanks to God, and both revealed 
and interpreted the king's dream. (See paragraph 559 — note.) 

501. JVJiy were the three Sehreio children, Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abednego throion into the fiery furnace ? 

Because they refused to bow down and worship a golden 
image which JS^ebuchadnezzar had set up. 

502. The occasion of this erection was, that Daniel, having been advanced to a 
high post in reward for his revelation from God to the king, and, as the king's con- 
fidential officer, and having revealed the tricks and impostures of the idol priests, 
they plotted against him. They represented that the king was being couvertecJ 
from the worship of the national idols to tliat of the God of Israel, which in- 
duced Nebuchadnezzar, as a proof of his orthodoxy, to set up the golden image. 

503. Why loere the Hehreio children enahled to pass through 
the -fire scatheless ? 

Because they were protected miraculously by God, who 



102 THE BIBLICAL E"^ASON WHY. 



B.C. 580— 530.— Belshazzar's Feast. 



sent an angel from heaven to shield them, and diffuse a cool 
atmosphere around them, even in the midst of the furnace. 

504. Why was Nebuchadnezzar dej>rived of his reason, and 
made to dwell toith the beasts of the field ? 

Because he had in his pride exalted himself to be wor- 
shipped as a god. 

505. But althougli this king was punislied by tlie loss of his senses, and his 
reduction to the level of a brute beast, it would appear that this calamity was the 
means of his ultimate con-version. His last words, recorded in chapter iv., would 
seem to indicate that, having regained his reason, he ended his life in the 
observance of the worship of the true God. 

506. What was the occasion of the handwriting on the 
toall which appeared to Belshazzar ? 

That impious prince and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, 
liaving, at a royal feast, used the sacred vessels which had 
been carried away from the temple, Grod sent this terrible 
indication of his impending punishment. 

507. The wisdom of the Chaldean soothsayers being totally incompetent to inter- 
pret this mysterious handwriting, Daniel is called, and by the illumination of Jehovah 
he reads and explains its meaning. Scarcely, however, has this interpretation been 
proclaimed, than the fulfilment of the prophecy follows. Belshazzar had been 
informed by Daniel that God had numbered his days and ended them — that he had 
been weighed in the balances and found wanting — that his kingdom was divided and 
given to the Medes and Persians, " and the same night Belshazzar, the king of the 
Chaldeans, was slain, and Darius the Median took the kingdom." (Dan. v. 26—31.) 

508. Why was Daniel thrown into the den of lions ? 
Because, having been advanced by Darius and being a Jew, 

the Medes were jealous of him and invented a plot to ruin 
him. 

509. Daniel had revealed to King Darius some tricks and impostures of the' 
idol priests, who were, in consequence, greatly incensed against him. They and 
their confederates, therefore, procured from Darius an order concerning worship, 
which they well knew, Daniel, as a Jew, would disobey ; thus they would be able to 
show the king that he was no loyal subject, but a contemner of the royal decrees, 

510. Why could not Darius, upon convicting Daniel of 
thio' act of disobedience, relieoc him of the penalty ? 

Because it was a maxim with the Medes and Persians that 
all laws promulgated under the king's seal were irreversible. 



THE BIBLICAL KEASON ^YB.Y. 103 



B.C. 530.— Eemarkable Propliecios. 



511. The penalty provided for the crime was the being cast alive into a den of 
lions. However much Darius might wish to exempt Daniel from this punishment, 
he dared not openly go against the usages of the reabn, especially in favour of 
one who was an aben and one of a despised nation. 

512. JECoiv was Daniel preserved from the lions ? 

He was again miraculously protected. God sent an angel 
who shut the mouths of the lions. 

513. The penalty had been inflicted, and the honour of the king saved. The 
latter now, punishing the accusers of his favourite servant, advanced him still 
higher in honours : " So Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign 
of Cyrus the Persian." (Dan. vi. 28.) 

514. Why are ilie prophecies of Daniel, with tohich the 
last six chapters of his hooh concludes, particularly interesting ? 

Because, although they point to the coming of the Messiah, 
in common with those of several of the other prophets, they 
are distinguishable from them inasmuch as they indicate the 
very time and date of his appearing. 

515. Daniel determines the time of His coming in two ways : — 1. By describing 
the four empires which were to precede Him ; and 2. By fixing the actual date, from a 
particular event in the Jewish history. It is a noteworthy fact, that because the 
times thus clearly fixed by Daniel are now gone by, and the Messiah (of their 
imagination) not having appeared, the later Eabbins have been driven to reject the 
authority of Daniel, whom they now, in revenge, declare to have been no true 
prophet. 



CHAPTER VL 



THE TWELVE MIIfOK PEOPHETS. 



516. Why ivas the prophet Hosea sent to the Jeios? 

To supply the place of the prophet Amos when the latter 
had been banished from Israel to the kingdom of Judah. 

517. Although placed before the prophecy of Amos in the order of the BibKcal 
books, Hosea was later in point of time. He is reckoned the first of the Lesser 
Prophets ; which word Lesser does not apply to the importance of the matter com- 
municated, but to the length of the books which contain the prophecies. 

Hosea, Joel, and Amos were contemporaries, living in the reigns of Jeroboam, 



104 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY 



The Prophets Hosea, Joel, and Amos. 



the son of Joash, king of Israel, and Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezeldah 
kings of Judah. 

The prophets were not only messengers sent, but v/ere, in most instances, 
types in their own persons of the prophecies themselves. Their names were some- 
times very significant of the motive of their oiBce ; as, for instance, Hosea sig- 
nifies " a saviour," and implied that his message was a means by which salvation 
might be brought to the Jews, if they chose to hearken to it. Or their acts and 
behaviour were so many acted allegories of what was aft( rwards to happen. 

518. Hoio is this statement illustrated in tlte prophecy of 
Hosea ? 

In the commencement of the book (i. 2), the prophet is 
told to take to wife a woman who was known to have sinned 
against the law, in order to show by an allegory how Israel had 
allied itself to .the corruptions of heathendom. 

519. The book of Hosea is a series of reproaches against the people of Israel 
for their unfaithfulness to Jehovah and his laws, mingled with prophecies of their 
punishment, and, finally, of the coming of the Messiah. The priests generally had 
gone with their kings, and made no scruple in offering up sacrifices to any or every 
idol which the ever varying heresy of the day brought into fashion. Hosea's warning, 
addressed to these, shows how they ought to have instructed the people, and how 
God would visit them for their neglect of duty. The prophet next addresses him- 
self to the people, and warns them not to trust in the calf of Bethel, nor in the help 
of either Egypt or Assyria. He then predicts their long servitude and captivity in 
Assyria, and the book concludes with some references to the future Christian system. 

520. Why was the prophet Joel serd from God ? 

His mission was similar to that of Hosea ; the scene of 
his preaching being the kingdom of Judah, while that of the 
former was Israel. 

521. The name of Joel signifies "the Lord God," or "the coming down of 
God." The book containing his prophecies is very short, consisting of three 
chapters only ; but these are full of the most sublime imagery, and are of a most 
solemn character. Of his person little is known. He was the son of Pethuel, and 
prophesied before the subversion of Judah, but when that event was fast approach- 
ing — in the reign, as some think, of Manasseh; or, according to others, of Josiah. 

522. Why was the prophet Amos sent? 

Pecause of the general corruption which had fallen upon 
Israel through the conduct of the first king Jeroboam in 
setting up the false worship in Bethel and in Dan. 

523. Amos commenced his difficult ministry by speaking against the idolatrous 
altars. The first six chapters are occupied with these exhortations. Amaziah, the 
priest of Bethel, hereiTpon sent to Jeroboam II., king of Israel, saying : — "Amos 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 105 



The Prophets Obadiah and Jocali. 



hath, conspired agaii.st thee in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able 
to bear his words." He represents that his prophecy of the king's death is an act 
of treason, and deserving of banishment at the least. Amos defends his conduct. He 
was not a prophet strictly speaking ; he had been but a simple herdsman. AVhile 
Avith his cattle, the message of the Lord had come to him, and he had no alternative 
but to deliver it. His remonstrance had but little effect. Amos was banished 
the kingdom, and took refuge in Judah. 

524. Who tvas the prophet Ohadiah ? 

He was a contemporary of Amos, Hosea, and Joel, and 
was sent for a similar purpose. 

523. The prophecy of Obadiah is the shortest of aU the Lesser Prophets, but 
yields to none in the sublimity of its subject and diction. 

526. Whi/ are the j^c^^on and prophecy of Jonah par- 
ticularly interesting ? 

Because the propliet was a remarkable type of Jesus Christ, 
and is referred to as such by our Saviour himself. 

527. Jonah Kved in the time of the second Jeroboam (2 Kings xiv. 25), to whom 
he foretold his success in restoring the borders of Israel. He was of Gath-hepher, 
in the tribe of Zebulon, and consequently of GaiUee. This is important to 
remember, as confuting the assertion of the Pharisees (John vii. 52) that no 
prophet ever rose out of Galilee. He was the only one among the prophets who was 
sent to preach to the Gentiles. 

528. TThy did Jonah, tvhen sent to JSineveh to denounce 
judgment against it, fly to Tarshish ''from the J ace of the 
Lord " ? 

Because, knowing the mercy and long-suffering of God for 
those who repent, and foreseeing that the repentance of tlie 
Ninevites would avert from their city its threatened desti-uc- 
tion, he feared to be reputed as a false prophet. 

529. Jonah's flight obliged him to take ship at Joppa. 'So sooner is he aTjoard 
and the vessel under weigh, than the pursuing hand of God raises a great wmd, by 
which the crew and passengers are tossed about to the peril of their lives. The 
mariners are terrified. Most probably there was something of an unusual 
character in the force and violence of the tempest. They cry out to heaven— they 
throw overboard the he;ivy goods, but in vain ; the storm continues — Jonah is found 
asleep in the midst of this peril, and he, being awakened, is asked why he does not 
rise and call upon his God. But the impression has got hold of these mariners that 
some xjerson is on board whose presence is an offence to God, and is the cause of 
their peril. To discover who this might be lots are cast, " and the lot fell upon 
Jonah." He is asked iis name, his country, and his errand. Bejug inform-ed of 
these they endeavour once more to row to land. But this is iiseless, the storm still 



106 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



The Propliets Jonah and Micah. 

rages fiercely, and, against tieir will, they throw Jonah into the sea. A calm 
immediately ensues, and the men acknowledge the power of God — " They offered a 
sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows." 

530. Why tvas Jonah swalloioed hi/ a great fish ? 
Because it was the purpose of God thus miraculously to 

preserve him alive, that he might afterwards fulfil his mission 
to the Ninevites. 

531. Accordingly, after three days, God caused the fish to approach the land 
and to deposit the prophet upon it unscathed. He now proceeds upon his errand, 
and by the earnestness of his warnings awakens the Ninevitea to a temporary 
repentance ; which has the effect anticipated by Jonah. The anger of God is 
turned away, and they are pardoned, 

532. Why was Jonah displeased " and very angry' (iv. 1) 
that God should spare Nineveh ? 

Because, 1, he expected now to be reputed as a false 
prophet; 2, he feared that God's word, by this occasion, might 
come to be slighted and disbelieved. 

533. Why did the gourd spring up so rapidly over JonaKs 
booth, and as rapidly disappear ? 

To show the prophet that all things were in the hand of 
God, and that He could do whatsoever He pleased with His 
creatures. 

534. After the delivery of his warning against Nineveh, Jonah betook himself 
to a booth in the environs ; or, in the words of the text (Jonah iv. 5), " He made 
him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might siee what would become of 
the city." God caused a gourd (or kind of Falma christi, according to some com- 
mentators) to spring up miraculously, which afforded a thick shelter over the booth 
of the prophet. Jonah rejoiced in his gourd. But as rapidly as it had grown, so, 
by means of a worm which was sent to attack it, did it as rapidly wither. This was 
a new grief to Jonah. He gives vent to his complaint that God had deprived him 
of his sheltering plant. God then convinces the prophet of his narrow-mindedness, 
inasmuch as he could mourn for the withering of a gourd, but had no feehng for the 
thousands of men, women, and children, whom God had spared in Nineveh. 

535. At what period did the prophet Micah live ? 

He was a Morasthite, or native of Moresheth, a small town 
of Judah, a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah, and was sent 
to preach in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of 
Judah (B.C. about 750). 

536. He is not to be confounded with the Micaiah mentioned in 1 Kings ixii., 
who lived a hundred and fifty years before. Micah's prophecies were chiefiy 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 107 

iLlalium, Habakkuk, Zephaniali. 

concerning Samaria, although, he had to denounce the angei* of God a. ainst 
Jerusalem, whose destruction he foreshows, even descending to the particular fate 
which befel Mount Zion many hundred years afterwards. He speaks of the 
ploughing up of its site, which actually occurred under the Roman emperors. 
His references to the coming Messiah are remarkable in that he mentions the very 
birth-place of Jesus Christ. That memorable passage — " But thou Bethlehem 
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee 
shall He come unto me that is to be ruler in Israel : whose goings forth have been 
from of old, from everlasting" — occurs in chapter v. verse 2 of Micah's prophecy. 
The style of this book is characterized as forcible, pointed, and concise, always 
poetical, sometimes sublime. Micah is fuU of feeling, and his prophecies are pene- 
trated by the purest spirit of morality and piety. 

537. What ivas tlie object of Nahiinis 'proioliecy ? 

He was sent during tlie reign of Hezekiab, king of Judah, 
after the irruption of the Assyrians into that kingdom had 
commenced, to warn his countrymen of God's anger and the 
consequences of their sins. He predicted the fatal end of that 
invasion — the captivitv of the Jews — and the destruction of 
]Mineveh itself. 

538. He appeared about fifty years after Jonah, when the Kinevites had 
relipsed. The destruction of Nineveh was declared as a foreshadowing of the 
subversion of idolatry by the estabUshment of Christianity. The name of IS'ahum 
signifies " a comforter." He is described as " the Elkoshite," from the place of his 
birth, which, accol-ding to St. Jerome, was Helkesi, a little town of Gahlee. 
iS^'ahum was, therefore, another proof of the falsehood of the Pharisees' declaration 
Cdncerning that province. 

539. Why ivas the prophet HahakJcuh sent from God ? 
He was sent to warn the kingdom of Judah of the invasion 

of the Chaldeans (b.c. about 600). 

540. Habakkuk hved to see this prediction fulfilled ; and many years after, 
according to the general opinion, foreseeing that Nebuchadnezzar would take 
Jerusalem, he escaped, on the approach of the Chaldean army, to Astracin, a town 
in Arabia, near Lake Sarbonis. When the Chaldeans returned to their own country 
after the conquest of Jerusalem, Habakkuk came back to Judea, and died (b.c. 538) 
two years before the return of the Jews from Babylon. Psuedo Epiphanius says he 
was honourably bm-ied at his native city, Beth-sceher, in the tribe of Simeon. In 
the prayer (Hab. iii.), the appearance of Christ, the last judgment, and eternity 
are mentioned in the most sublime style. 

541. Who was Zephaniah 1 

He was a prophet sent in the beginning of the reign of 
Josiah, the son of Araon, king of Judah (b.c. about 630), to 



108 THE BIBLICAL EEASOJS' WHY. 



The Prophets Haggai and Zecliariati. 

denounce the sins of tlie Jews — tlieir idolalry and other crimes 
— and to foreshow to them the punishments that were to come 
upon them and upon other nations for the same causes. 

542. Zephaniah, wliose name signifies " the watctman of the Lord," was the 
sou of Cushi, a Simeonite, and a native of Mount Sarabatha, an elevated region of 
Lebanon. His style is not so grand as that of most other prophets, but this only 
shows that God calls whom he pleases, and uses instruments of various kinds and 
accomplishments, itfotwithstanding this, the authenticity of the book of Zephaniah 
has never been called in question. 

543. Why teas the prophet Saggai sent ? 

Because his being a message of mercy and encoiiragement, 
and occurring after the return from the captivity of Babylon, 
he was a means to stimulate the children of Israel and Judah 
in the rebuilding of their temple. 

54.4. Haggai was probably born at Babylon, or in some other town of the 
Babylonian empire to which the captive Jews had been consigned. It is not 
kno^vll where he died. There has never been any doubt about the authenticity of 
this book. Its prophecies are referred to in Ezra iv. 24, and there is a quotation 
of Haggai ii, 7 in Hebrews xii. 23. The prophecies were all most strikingly 
fulfilled. In the rebuilding of their second temple, the Jews had been much 
annoyed by their rivals the Samaritans. In consequence, however, of the 
exhortations of Haggai, they proceeded with the building, and finished it. Among 
the encouragements oifered to the Jews, the prophet was commanded to assure 
them that this second temple should be mor6 glorious than the first, because the 
Messiah should honour it with his presence ; signifying, also, how much the church 
of the New Testament should excel that of the Old. That, in a material sense, the 
second temple was inferior to the first admits of no doubt. The seventh vei-se of 
the second chapter of this book clearly shows in what it should excel the former : 
"And I wiU shake all nations, and the desiee op all u-atioj^s shall come, and 
I will fill this house vdth glory, saith the Lord." 

545. What loas the ohject of ZechariaKs 'prophecy] 

It was intended, like that of Haggai, to stimulate the 
returned captives to rebuild the temple, and restore the regular 
worship of God; and to encourage their faith and hope with 
the promise of a Messiah. 

546. Zechariah began to prophecy in the same year as Haggai. His prophecies 
are full of symbolism, and rather dark in their meanings ; but, with reference to 
two subjects, he is plainer and more open than other prophets. These are the 
coming of Jesus Christ, and the last siege of Jerusalem. He lived nearer to those 
events than many of his fellows, and his references are proportionately clearer than 
theirs. In chapter ix, verse 9, is that remarkable passage, "Rejoice grejitly. O 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOK WHY. IQP 



The Proi^het Malaclii. 



daiigliter of Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy King cometh unto 
thee ; He is just, and having salvation ; lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a 
colt the foal of an ass." "Wherein the actual appearance and equipage, so to speak, 
of our Saviour is delineated. In chapter xi. verse 12, the thirty pieces of silver for 
Tvhich our Lord vras betrayed is mentioned ; and in the 13th verse of the same 
chapter, their appropriation by the Jews in the purchase of the potter's field is 
alluded to. 

With regard to the last siege and destruction of Jerusalem, the projphet, in 
chapter xi., is very minute, although stiU figurative. In verse 6, the final strife is 
mentioned — the factions who warred with each other — every one against his 
neighbour — ^tallying exactly with Josephus's description of the actual fact, as it 
afterwards occurred. 

517. Why is the hoolc of the Prophecies of Malachi placed 
last among the canonical hooJcs f 

1. Because the subjects of his prophecies arrange them- 
selves naturally in that place. 2. Because after him no 
prophet was recognized in Israel, or by Christians, until John 
the Baptist. 

5iS. Malachi, whose name signifies " the angel of the Lord," was contemporary 
with Nehemiah, and by some is believed to have been the same person with 
Esdras. He was the last of the prophets in the order of time, and hved about 
four hundred years before Christ. He foretells the corain? of Christ in a very 
stri.dng manner ; the rei^robation of the Jews and their sacrifices ; and the calling 
of the Gentiles, who shall offer up to God in every place an acceptable sacriiice, 
He also clearly speaks of the two-fold coming of Clirist, preceded by the Baptist 
and by Elijah. He inveighs against the same crimes as Xehemiah, to whose 
covenant he aUudes (Mai. ii. 4). The proi3hecy of Malaclii respecting St. John the 
Baptist (Mai. iii. 1) has been considered, both by Jews and Christians, as one of the 
most remarkable and important in the whole Scriptures The prophecies of Haggai 
and Zechariah were delivered during the building of the second temple ; that of 
Malachi was given some years after its completion, when ISTehemiah was 
" governor." The allusion in chapter i. verse 8, is evidently made to him. With 
Malachi the race of Old Testament prophets ceased. The Jews reckoned that this 
prophetical reign lasted only forty years after the completion of the second 
temple. 



NOTE 01:^ THE PERIOD OF THE LATEK PEOPHETS. 

With the death of Malachi, the prophetical dispensation terminated. It will 
be important to observe what was going on in the nations immediately surrounding 
the devoted land of Judea. 

In the year B.C. 335, Alexander the Great, Kjng of Macedonia, passed out of 
Europe into Asia, and began to lay waste the Persian empire. Manasses, brother 



110 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



B.C. 335— 320.— Eise and fall of Greek Empire. 




ILEXANDEE, SUENAMED THE 
GREAT. 



to Jaddus, the high priest at Jerusalem, refusing to put away his strange wife, was 
driven from the sacrifice ; and Sanballath, his father-in-law, governor of Samaria, 
having revolted from Darius, applied to the rising conqueror of the East for per- 
mission to erect a temple on Mount Gerizim. Alexander gj-anted his request. The 
schismatieal temple was erected, and Manasses 
made high priest thereof. To this new sanc- 
tuary now resorted all such as were entangled in 
unlawful marriage, and, in fact, aU those who, 
not wishing to leave their own country entirelj', 
were still not safe at Jerusalem. This was the 
origin of the hated Samaritan scandal. 

Alexander marched to Jerusalem, intending 
to besiege it. Jaddus, the high-priest, hearing 
of his approach, arrays himself in his sacerdotal 
vestments, and, accompanied by a concourse of 
people all in white, goes out to meet him. This 
striking manifestation has its effect upon the 
impressible mind of the youthful Alexander, who 
at their approach prostrates himself, and, rising, 
informs the high priest that, whilst he was in 
Macedonia, a man appeared to him in the very 
same habit, who invited him to come into Asia, and promised to deliver the Persian 
empire into his hands. He then proceeds to the temple, and oiFers sacrifice to the 
God of heaven, according to the high priest's direction. He is shown the prophecy 
of Daniel, and, without much difficulty, is per- 
suaded that he is the Greek destined to subvert 
the Persian dynasty. 

The event verified this prediction, for, in 
B.C. 330, the Persians are overcome, Darius slain, 
and Alexander remains master of the whole 
eastern world. In B.C. 323, Alexander, having 
/eigned six years and ten months, died ; his army 
and dominions being divided between his principal 
generals. Antigonus becomes master of Asia ; 
Seleucus of Babylon and the bordering nations ; 
Lysimachus of the HeUespont; Cassander, Ma- 
eedon ; and Ptolomeus, Egypt. 

In B.C. 320, Ptolomeus Soter, by a stratagem, 
made himself master of Jerusalem. Entering the 
city upon the Sabbath, when he knew the Jews 
would be engaged in their sacrificial rites, under 
pretence of assisting at them, he captured it 
without resistance, and made the principal in- 
habitants captives. Ptolomeus sent many of these 
into Egypt, and here his enmity towards them 

terminated, for we find that he gave them special privileges, and placed great 
confidence in their wisdom and general integrity. At the death of this king, his 
son, Ptolomeus Philadelphus, reigned over Egypt ; and being a great favourer of 
learning and learned men, he built the c.lebrated Alexandrine library. It was 




GREEK HEATHEK PEIEST, WITH 
GOAI FOK SACRIEICE. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 



Ill 



B.C. 277. — Greeks inTade Judea. 



by his direction and patronage that the LQYaluable Septuagiat was composed 
(B.C. 277). 

The succeeding events bring us to the period at which the d stinguished family 
of the Maccabees flourished, and are interesting both from their otnti nature and as 
throwing a light upon the manners of the age and peoples of the East. 

In the year b.c. 177, one Simon, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, was gOTcrnor 
of the temple of Jerusalem, Onias being then high priest. Owing to some unex- 
plained causes of quarrel, these functionaries noui'ish a hatred the one for the 
other; and the former, in order to further his revenge, goes to Apollonius, the 
governor of Coelo-Syria, and informs him that there is a vast treasure hidden in the 
temple. Apollonius acquaints his sovereign, Seleucus, with this fact, and the 
latter sends Heliodorus, his treasurer, to Jerusalem to bring away the money. 
Heliodorus, entering the temple, is by angels struck down in the very place, and 
carried from thence half dead; but, by the prayers of Onias, he is soon after 
restored to health. Keturning to his master Seleucus, Heliodorus magnifies the 
holiness of the temple, and the power of Grod dwelling in it. 

The following year Seleucus died, and was succeeded on the thnme of Syria by 
Antiochus Epiphanes. By means of some valuable presents, one Jason contrives to 
get appointed by him to the office of high priest : but Menelaus, brother to Simon 
the traicor, being- employed by Jason to convey the bribe to Antiochus Epiphanes, 
contrives, by the ofi'er of a higher sum, to get the high priesthood conferred upon 
himself. This imbroglio brings Jerusalem into trouble with the heathen; for 
Menelaus, once installed, fails to pay the stipu- 
lated price, and defies the king. Antiochus then 
marches to Jerusalem, besieges and takes it, 
slaughtering a vast number of its inhabitants, 
and selling into slavery many thousands of them. 
I^ot content with this revenue, Antiochus en- 
deavours to aboHsh the Jewish worship and 
ceremonial; and it is wortbj' of remark, how 
futile every attempt to do this had hitherto failed, 
and was still doomed to fail. God had decreed a 
time for this consuramation ; and, until that time 
should arrive, the heathen might " enviously 
rage," but they woiild find themselves, in the 
words of the psalmist-prophet, imagining " a 
vain thing." 

Antiochus obtained nothing but some affec- 
tations of Greek usages. The temple worship 
remained intact ; but the Samaritans, probably 
out of hatred to the Jews, and not from any 
conviction, set up the worship of Japiter on 
Mount Gerizim. 

It has been said that Antiochus gained nothing 
by his attempts to estabhsh idolatry at Jerusalem. 
His attempts, however, were not easily fore- 
gone, and in their prosecution he contrived to 
deluge the holy city with blood. He issued an edici , commauding all the nations 




ADONIS, A HEATHEX GREEK 
IDOL. 



112 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



The History of Tobit. 

subject to him to observe uniformity of worship ; to lay aside all peculiar or 

national customs ; to profess the 



Greek religion ; the punishment of 
death being threatened unto such 
as should be disobedient. He set 
up the most severe and inexorable 
tribunals, presided over by judges 
of the most uncompromising cha- 
racter. Of the Jews, many pre- 
ferred to undergo the most cruel 
torments, rather than offer sacrifice 
to idols. These persecutions, and 
the heroic resistance offered to 
Epiphanes, form the subject of the 
earlier portions of the books of 
Maccabees, and were coeval with 




GREEK ALTAE. 



the decline of the Greek power under the gradually rising star of Kome, 



CHAPTEE VII. 



APOCEYPHAL BOOKS. 

549. Why sliould the hoolcs called " A^ocry^ha'' he read 
and considered? ^ 

Because tliey afford, by way of episodes, excellent pictures 
of the sufferings and manners of the Jews during the period of 
which they treat. 



I. THE HISTORY OF TOBIT. 

Prophet after prophet had spoken to Israel, and neither Idng nor people had 
repented. By the permission of God, therefore, the empire of Assyria made war 
upon and prevailed against it. Among the captives whom Shalmanezer, King of 
Assyria, removed to Nineveh, was Tobit, of the city and tribe of Napthali. When 
still young, this devout Israelite had ever refused to bow to the idols which 
Jeroboam had set up at Dan and at Bethel, but went up regularly to offer his 
tithes and first-fruits in the temple at Jerusalem. 

He married a wife of his own tribe, one Anna, and they had one son, who was 
also called Tobit. The elder Tobit prospered even in his captivity, and was 
permitted to go freely from city to city by Shalmanezer, who was favourable to 
Mm. In one of his journeys he encountered a countryman, by nam.e Gabael, of 
Rages, a city of Media, who was in deep want, and Tobit advanced him as a loan 



THE BIBLICAL IlEASON WHY. 113 



The History of Tobit. 



the sum of ten talents, taking his written acknowledgment for the money. After 
the death of Shalmanezer, as had happened before in Egypt, another king arose 
who knew not Tobit, and a persecution of the captives commenced, which was very 
bitter and hard to bear. This change was mainly brought about by the defeat of 
Sennacherib before Jerusalem (b.c. 710). The captive Israelites became so many 
marks for the revengeful shafts of the hmnbled Assyrians. It was a common 
occurrence to stab them in the open streets, their bodies being left to be devoured 
by birds or the prowling dogs of Mneveh. The piety and patriotism of Tobit had 
herein an object for their exhibition. He seized every opportunity to sally forth, 
and render to the bodies of his compatriots the rites of sepidture. For a time he 
M'as enabled to do so without detection ; but at length his acts were reported to the 
king, and he was marked for pimishment. Tobit escaped assassination only 
through the death of Sennacherib, who was murdered by his own sons. 

Undeterred by this risk, Tobit continued his pious offices to the dead, and, as 
in the case of Job, it pleased God to try His servant with affliction. By an accident 
he lost his sight ; he next fell into poverty ; and, it is added, his wife reproached him 
with the uselessness of his previous virtue and faith. But Tobit's rehance upon 
God was not to be shaken ; he repined not, but set to work to provide succours in 
their distress. He remembered the debt omng to him by his friend Gabael in 
Rages, and despatched his son to that city to demand its payment. It was 
necessary that the young Tobit should, if possible, have the companionship of some 
discreet and trustworthy guide among the strange lands and people to which his 
errand would lead him. Opportunely enough, such a guide presented himself. This 
was a divinely sent personage, the angel Eaphael, who, in the guise of a native of 
Persia, offered his services. The young Tobit and liis conductor then set out, and, 
after various adventures, which it needs not to repeat here, they arrive at Eages, 
procure the money, rejourn, and gladden the hearts of Tobit's parents. By the 
angel's help, the elder Tobit recovers his lost sight. The young man is well and 
happily married to a virtuous woman of his own nation, and it only remains to them 
to requite the services of the faithful guide, by whose means health, wealth, and 
domestic happiness had been restored to the pious family. They had blessed God 
for His goodness in sending them so invaluable a friend, but had no suspicion of his 
supernatural character. It was, indeed, a real trouble to find by what means an 
adequate recompense could be awarded to Azariah — such was the assumed name of 
Tobit's guide. He was called, and desired to teU. them by what means they could 
acquit themselves of the obligation ; but now, his errand over, the angel revealed 
himself. He told them that, out of regard to his prayers and alms, God had 
commissioned him, Eaphael, to descend to earth to heal him, and to restore his 
prosperity. For aU this they were only to bless and adore God. The parting 
admonition of Eaphael is beautiful, and is as fuUows : — 

" Peace he to you, fear not. 

"For when I was %oWi you, I was there by the tcill of God; lless ye Him, and 
sing praises to His name. 

"I seemed to eat and dt-inlc tcifhyou; but I use an invisible meat and drink, which 
eam}at be understood by men. 

"It is time, therefore, that I return to Him that sent me; but bless ye God, and 
publish all his tconderful iccr/cs." 

Tobit and his fanuly fell on their faces, and remained prostrate while the 



114 THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 



Histoiy of Judith. 



angelic messenger vanished from their sight. Afterwards the spirit of prophecy 
fell upon the elder Tobit, and rising he foretold the future glory of Jerusalem, 
which is interpreted to mean the Christian church. 

He afterwards Uved many years, and saw the children of hia grandchildren. 



II. HISTORY OP JUDITH. 

In the reign of Manasseh, King of Judah, the Assyrian monarch, Saos-duehinvis 
(Nebuchadnezzar), sent his general, Holofernes, with a large army, to subdue the 
people and cities of Syria. The approach of this army struck such terror and 
dismay into the hearts of the Syrians, that they went out on all sides to meet him 
with garlands, lights, and dances, timbrels and flutes, if possible to appease his 
fierceness. Joacim, the high priest of Jerusalem, seeing the danger that threatened 
Judah in common with the other people, went through all the cities, exhorting the 
Jews to humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes before God, and to pray for the 
Divine piotection, while the men of war prepared to defend their country. 
Holofernes, hearing that the children of Israel were thus arousing themselves to 
resistance against his power, full of amazement and indignation, called together the 
princes of Moab and Ammon, who had made their submission, and asked them, 
" What is this people that besettelh the mountains, that they alone have despised 
us, and not come out to meet us ?" He received such an answer to this question 
from Achior, a prince of Ammon, as excited the Assyrian general to additional 
anger. From Achior he learned that the Jews were a distinct people ; that their 
career had been one of wonders and prodigies ; that they were the children of a 
high and sublime destiny; that if they were now in depression, it was the result of 
3od's anger against them; that no weapon formed against them could prosper 
unless by the will of Heaven. If now they were serving G-od faithfully, Holofernes 
would in vain strive against them; vfith more to the same effect. 

The Assyrian was so irritated, that he could scarcely refrain from killing 
Achior. He, however, contented himself with binding him hand and foot, and 
setting him outside the gates of Bethulia, an Israelitish town which he was 
besieging. The Bethulians rescued Achior, and learned from him the murderous 
intentions of Holofernes ; but the siege was kept up, and distie-s began to fill the 
city. The hearts of the Jews failed them, as they saw the moment approach when 
they must inevitably fall a prey to the cruel Holofernes. A council of war was 
held, and it was agreed that, unless relief came, they would yield the city at the 
end of five days. At this juncture a help sprang up from an unexpected quarter. 
Judith, a widow of the city, heard of the despairing resolve, and sent to the council 
over whom Ozias the priest presided. " Who are ye," said she, " that thus tempt 
the Lord ? This is not a word to draw down mercy, but indignation. You have 
set a time for the mercy of God, and have appointed Him a day according to your 
pleasure; let us rather humbly wait for His consolation." Ozias and the council 
recognized in Judith a special mission — a helper sent by God to whom it would be 
wise to defer. "All the words that thou hast spoken to us are true; now, 
therefore, pray for us, for thou art a holy woman, and one fearing God." Judith 
then said briefly that she and her maid would go to the Assyrian camp, but that 
they were not to search too curiously into her plans, and that nothing should be 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 115 



Susanna and the Elders. 



done but to pray for tlie success of ihem. Ozias answered, " Go in peace, aud the 
Lord be with tbee to take revenge of our enemies." 

Judith returned home, and, going into her oratory, she put on sackcloth and 
covered her head with ashes ; and she prayed before God, who had before humbled 
the Egyptians, who trusted in their chariots and horses, "that all nations may 
acknowledge that thou art God, and none other besides thee." Her prayer ended, 
Judith attired herself and went by night, with her maid carrying a basket of 
provisions, down the lull to the Assyrian camp. Early in the morning they met the 
watch of the enemy, who stopped them and demanded their errand. Judith 
answered that she was a daughter of the Hebrews, and that she had fled from the 
city knowing that it must fall ; that wishing to save her own life, she was come into 
their camp, and, moreover, that she had secret intelligence to give to Holofernes 
how the city might be taken. She was accordingly introduced to the tent of the 
Assyrian general, to whom she repeated her story. Holofernes was greatly smitten 
with the beauty and majesty of the Jewish matron, and gave orders that she should 
for three days have free passage to and from the camp._ At the end of that time he 
gave a great supper to his oiEeers, and invited Judith to grace the banquet with her 
presence. This she consented to do, provided she was not compelled to touch the 
food of the Assyrians, but was allowed, as a Hebrew, to eat from the basket of her 
attendant. At this banquet Holofernes became so exceedingly merry, that at its 
end he sank to the floor and slept the sleep of drunkenness. Judith at length found 
herself alone with the heathen general. She told her maid to stand before the 
chamljer and watch. Then praying with tears for the assistance of God, she took 
down the sword of Holofernes from the pillar where it hung, and seizing hiTin by 
the hair struck him twice aud cut ofl' his head. 

In the morning, Judith stood before the walls of Bethiilia, her maid carrying 
the head of Holofernes in her bag. " Open the gates," cried Judith, "for God is 
with us!" There was no time to be lost in seizing the occasion which God had 
given them. The head of Holofernes was hung out upon the walls of the city, and 
every preparation was made for one bold and vigorous sally upon the Assyrian 
camp at the moment of their panic. Everything happened as had been foreseen by 
Judith. The dismay of the Assyrians on finding the headless trunk of their general 
was extreme. In the midst thereof, the impetuous onset of the Hebrews completed 
the panic ; they fled in all directions, and the siege was raised. Immense numbers 
were slain, and all the spoils of the army fell into the hands of the children of 
Israel. 

III. THE HISTOKY OF SUSANI^A. 

Susanna,* the wife of a rich Jew of Babylon, is, whUe in a garden attached to her 
own house, solicited to comnut adultery by two elders or judges of the Jewish people : 
aud although she foresees that her opposition to their wicked intentions will be fol- 
lowed by some revengeful acts on their part, she is enabled by her religious principles 
successfully to resist them. The judges, or elders, enraged at the repulse, call Susanna 
before a public assembly and testify that they caught her in the act of adultery in 
the garden. She is condemned to death for the offence. As the innocent victim is 
on the way to execution, Daniel, who seems to have had a knowledge of the cha- 

* Signifying a lily — the type of chastity. 



116 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Bel and the Dragon. 

racter of these wicked judges from some extraneous source, induces the people 
to institute a fresh examination of the evidence against her. He interrogates the 
elders separately, under what tree, or in what part of the garden they found the 
supposed adultress. The first answering that it was under a mastick tree, or lentisk 
tree, Daniel inamediately pronounces liis sentence in the words, "The angel of the 
Lord hath received the sentence to cut thee in two." The other answering that it 
was under an ilex tree, he condemns him by saying, " The angel of God waiteth 
to destroy thee." The people confirm the sentence of Daniel, and these false 
witnesses, who had been at once accusers and judges, are executed in conformity 
with the laws of retaliation. 

The History of Susanna, although reckoned among the deutero-canonical boolis 
by both Protestants and Catholics, is much esteemed by both Churches. In the 
Anglican Liturgy it occurs as a lesson on the 22nd of November ; and in the Eoman 
on the vigil of the fourth Sunday in Lent. Susanna is much quoted, and was a 
favourite subject with the old Italian painters. 

IV. THE HISTOKY OF BEL AND THE DEAGON". 

Daniel,* on being invited by the King of Babylon to worship the idol Bel, 
pledges himself to prove that the idol does not consume the food set before him in 
large quantities. With this view, as soon as the food has been deposited, he orders 
every one to depart from the temple, and sprinldes the pavenaent with ashes, shuts 
the door and seals it with the royal signet. Early in the morning, the king and 
Daniel open the doors and enter the temple. They find the food consumed it is true, 
but at the same time discover in the ashes on the pavement the footsteps of the 
priests and of their wives and children, who had entered the temple at night by a 
secret door and devoured the food. On this account the king orders the idol Bel, 
which was made of earthenware overlaid with gold, to be broken in pieces. 

Daniel, again importuned by the king to adore a Dragon, who is represented as 
an object of worship at Babylon, replies that he will undertake, unarmed, to destroy 
this supposed terrible deity. With the king's permission he offers the Dragon food 
prepared " of pitch, and fat, and hair seethed together," which the Dragon devours 
and immediately bursts asunder. The populace are excited by these outrages upon 
their gods, and rising tumultuously force the king to give up Daniel. The 
seditious multitude having east him to the lions, he nevertheless remains unhurt, 
and on the sixth day receives food from Habakkuk, who had been supernaturally 
brought to his relief from a great distance, and who was taken back again to his 
home in a similar manner. The king, at last, finding Daniel unhurt, releases him 
and punishes his persecutors. 

V. THE TWO BOOKS OF MACCABEES. 

The Maccabees commenced their career of patriotic and religious heroism 
during the persecution of Autiochus Epiphanes, about the year B.C. 187. At this 
time the aged Mattathias, a descendant of the Asmonieans, and his five sons, 

* The period of the history is the same with that of Susanna, namely, 
during the Babylonish captivity. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 117 



E.C. 167— 34.— The History of the Maccabees. 



iuliabited the town of Modiu, to which place Antiochus sent certain of his officers 
vvith instructions to erect an altar for heathen sacrifices, and to engage the inhabi- 
tants in the celebration of idolatrous and superstitious rites. The venerable Mat- 
tathias openly declared his resolution to oppose the orders of the tyrant, and one of 
the recreant Jews approaching the altar which h d been set up, he rushed upon 
him, and slew 1dm with his own hand. His part thus boldly taken, he called his 
sons and his friends around him, and immediately fled to the mountains, inviting 
all to follow him who had any zeal for God and the law. A small band of resolute 
and devoted men was thus formed, and the governor of the district saw reason to 
fear that a general insurrection would be the consequence of their proceeding. By 
a sudden attack directed against them on the Sabbath, when he knew the strictness 
of their principles would not allow them to take measures for their defence, he 
threw them into disorder, and slew about a thousand of their nunaber, consisting of 
men, women, and children. Warned by this event, and yielding to the necessity of 
their present condition, Mattathias and his sons determined that for tbe future they 
would defend themselves on the Sabbalh in the same manner as on other days. 
The mountain-hold of the little band was now guarded more cautiously than before. 
Fresh adherents to the holy cause were continually flocking in ; and in a few mouths 
the party found itself sufficiently strong to make attacks upon the towns and 
villages of the neighbourhood, throwing down the heathen altais, and punishing 
the reprobates who had taken part with the enemies of God. 

By the death of Mattathias, the leadership of the party devolved upon his son 
Judas Maccabaeus, whose worth and heroic courage pointed him out as most 
capable of carrying on the enterprise thus nobly begun. Judas lost no time in 
attacking the enemy. He made himself master of several towns, which he fortified 
and garrisoned. Apollonius, general of the army in Samaria, hastened to stop the 
progress of the insurgents. Judas met him on the way, joined battle with him, 
slew him, and routed his army. The same success attended him in his encounter 
with Seron, general of the Syrians ; and it now became evideutto Antiochus that the 
Jewish nation would soon be delivered from his yoke, unless he proceeded against 
them with a more formidable force. While, therefore, he himself went into I'er.-ia to 
recruit his treasures, Lysias, whom he left as regent at home, sent an army into 
Judea, composed of forty thousand foot and seven thousand cavalry. This powerful 
array was further increased by auxiliaries from the provinces, and by bands of 
Jews, who dreaded nothing more than the triumph of those virtuous men of their 
own nation who were struggling to save it from reprobation. So unequal did the 
forces of Judas appear to an encounter with such an army, that in addressing his 
folliiwers he urged those among them who had any especial reason to love tlie 
present world to retire at once ; while to those that remainod he pointtd out the 
promises of God as the best support of their courage and fidelity. By a forced 
march he reached a portion of the enemy e;. camped at Emmaus, while utterly 
unprepared for his approach. Complete success attended this bohl proceeding. 
The several parts of the hostile army were successively put to -Might, a splendid 
booty was secured, and Judas gained a position wliich made even the most powerful 
of his opponents tremble. Another and more numerous army was sent against him 
the following year, but with no better success. At the head of ten thousand 
determined followers, Judas defeated the army of Lysias, consisting of sixty 
tho isaud. A way was (hereby opened for his progress to Jerusalem^ whither he 



118 



THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 



B.C. 167— 34.— The Maccabees. 




immediately hastened, with the devout purpose of purifying the temple and 
restoring it to its former glory. The solemn religious rites having been performed 
which were necessary to the cleansing of the sacred edifice, the festival of the 
purification was instituted and added to the number of the other national festivals 
of more ancient date. 

Judas had full occupation for his courage and ability in repellins? the incursions 
of those nuraeroits foes who dreaded the restoration of order and religion. But every 
aay added to his successes. Having o' erthrown the Syrian commander sent against 

him, he occupied Samaria, made 
himself master of the strong city 
of Hebron, of Azotus, and other 
important places, taking signal 
vengeance on the people of Joppa 
and Jamnia, who had treacher- 
ously plotted the destruction of 
numerous Jews. 

Antiochus Epiphanes was suc- 
ceeded by Antiochus Eupator. 
At first this prince acred towards 
the Jews with moderation and 
tolerance ; but he soon afterwards 
invaded Judea w^th a powerful 
army, and was only induced to 
make peace with Maccabseus by 
the fears he entertained of a rival 
aspirant to the throne. His cau- 
tion did not save him. He was put to death by his own uncle, Demetrius, who, 
obtaining the throne of Syria, made peace with Judas, but took possession of the 
citadel of Jerusalem, which was occupied by his general, Nicanor, and a body of 
troops. This state of things was not allowed to last long, Demetrius Hstened to the 
reports of !Nicanor's enemies, and threatened to deprive him of hia command unless 
he could disprove the accusation that he had entered into a league vidth Judas, and 
was betraying the interests of his sovereign. I^Ticanor inmiediately took measures to 
satisfy Demetrius, and Judas saw it necessary to escape from Jerusalem and put 
himself in a posture of defence. A battle took place in which he defeated his enemy. 
Another was soon after fought at Beth-horon, where he was again victoi'ious. 
Nicanor himself fell in this battle, and his head and right hand were sent anaong the 
spoils to Jerusalem.. But the forces of Demetrius were still numerous. Judas had 
retired to Laish with about three thousand followers. He was there attacked by over- 
whelming numbers. Only eight hundred of his people remained faithful to h'm on 
this occasion. Kesolved not to iiee, he bravely encountex-ed the enemy, and was 
speedily slain, regarding his life as a fitting sacrifice to the cause in which he was 
engaged. 

Simon and Jonathan, the brothers of Judas, rallied around them the bravest of 
their companions, and took up a strong position in the neighbourhood of Tekoa. 
Jonathan proved himself a worthy successor to tis heroic brother, and skilfully 
evaded the first attack of Bacchides, the Syrian general. For two years after this 
the brothers were left in tranquillity, and they established themselves in a little 
fortress called Bethtasi, situated among the rocks near .Tevicho. The skill and reso- 



BALISTA FOB HUKLING- HUGE STOKES, 
AND MOVEABLE TOWEB. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASO?^ WHY. 119 



B.C. 167 — 34. — The Maccabees.— The Eomans. 

lution witli which they pursued their measures rendered them formidable to the 
enemy, and the state of affairs in Syria some time after obliged Demetrius to make 
Jonathain the general of his forces in Judea, and to invest him with the authority of 
governor of Jerusalem. To this he was compelled by the rivalry of Alexander 
Balas ; but his policy was too late to secure the attachment of his new ally. Jonathan 
received offers from Alexander to support his interests among the Jews, and the 
high priesthood was the proffered reward. The invitation was accepted, and Jona- 
than became the first of the Asmoneanline, through which the high priesthood was so 
long transmitted. Alexander Balas left nothing undone which might tend to secure 
thefidelity of Jonathan. He gave him a high rank among the princes of his king- 
dom and adorned him with a purple robe. Jonathan continued to enjoy his pros- 
perity till the year B.C. 143, when he fell a victim to the treachery of Tryphon who 
aspired to the Syrian throne. He was succeeded by his brother Simon, who con- 
firmed the Jews in their temporary independence ; 

and in the year B.C. 141, they passed a decree whereby /^^^^^v 

the dignity of the high priesthood and of prince of ^^SuH "^^ l^^^i'^^' 

the Jews was rendered hereditary in the family of ^m[^^i«^^lllr 

Simon. He fell a victim to the treachery of his son- vsIl^^^^^ 

in-law Ptolemy, governor of Jericho, but was sue- *£|£i^^^^^^^*> 

ceeded by his son the celebrated John Hyrcanus, .^^^^^^^^^ 

who possessed the supreme authority above thirty I SPUR ll 

years, and at his death left it to be enjoyed by ' -gq|i| [ _^ * 

his son Aristobulus, who, soon after his accession to nj 

power, assumed the title of king. This dignity con- 1 1 

tinned ^A•ith the descendants of the Asmodean family || 

tin the year B.C. 34, when it ceased with the downfall || 

of Antigonus, who, conquered by Herod and the Eo- eoman standakd. 

mans, was put to death by the common executioner. 

To the foregoing histories is ajjpended a brief notice of the events which 
almost immediately preceded the advent upon earth of the Messiah. 

Herod, surnamed the Great, who overthrew the constitution established by 
Esdras, and who brought the Jews finally under the dominion of the Eomans, by 
being made "king"* of Judea by a decree of the senate (b.c.40), was born (b.c. 72) 
of a noble family in Idumea. The family name was Antipas, which his father changed 
to Antipator, to give it a Greek form. His father rose to political importance as 
a partisan of Hyrcanus, and was thus able to introduce his son to political life at an 
early age. Herodhadthe discernment to see that the Eoman interest was the only way 
to power, and he therefore paid court most assiduously to each Eoman general, as they 
sncceeded each other in command of the army of Asia. To gain a party, also, vdih the 
Jews, he allied himself in marriage with Mainamne, a grand-daughter of Hyrcamis. 
Thus proceeding, step by step, in his ambitious designs, he became extremely hateful 
to the doctors of the Sanhedrim and the principal Jews, who perceived clearly what 
his designs were. Those who preseiwed their national pride saw in him a foreign 
adventurer of the hated race of the Idumenians (Edomites) ; and those who were 
still really zealous for the law of Moses saw in him a nxan of no sort of principle, 

* Herod the Great was a titular king only, being in reality but a Eoman oifieial. 



120 



THE BIBLICAL IlEASON WHY. 



Eoman subjugation of Jude:i. 



jilWA;___^ 



who was ready to profess a zeal for that law whenever there was any end to be 

gained by it for himself, but who would just as readily offer sacrifice to Hercules, or 

any other'^G entile idol, to ingratiate himself with his Soman supporters. This 'led 

to the formation of a party in the 
Sanhedrim against Herod ; and in 
order to oppose him -with the bet- 
ter appearance, this party placed 
Antigonus, the oldest of the sur- 
viving sons of Aristobulus, at their 
head. Herod, however, defeated 
the party of Aristobulus in a 
pitched battle, and in the year 
49 B.C. went to Eome, where, 
through the influence of Marc 
Antony, he was declared king of 
Judea by the senate, and did 
homage to the Eomans for his 
crown. 

Thus gradually the sceptfe 
passed away from Judah, and the 
faithless people for their sins be- 
came a tributary kingdom of the 
Roman empire under a foreigner. 
Tiiis, however, was not to be with- 
out a struggle ; but the struggle 
d d not, as heretofore under the 
Maccabees, end in the recovery 
of their kingdom, for God Ava^ 
no longer on tlieir side. The 

party of the Sanhedrim, with Antigonus at their head, resisted Herod for two years 

after his return; but at length, 

with the lielp of the Eomans, 

they were defeated, and Antigo- 
nus, the tool of the s icerdutal 

party, was put to death. 

Herod's first use of his vic- 
tory was to rid himself of his 

enemies in the Sanhedrim, whom 

he put to death. Having obtained 

the throne through bloodshed, he 

continued to the end of his life to 

secure himself upon it, by putting 

to death all whom he suspected as 

likely to interfere wdth him. In 

this way he murdered his own 

sons, his Avife Mariamne, and, as 

, 1, 1 , .1 1. 1 • KO]MA?f CATAPULT, 

WO shaU see later, the holy mno- fo„ discharging javelins, and sometimes trunk 
cents of Bethlehem. of trees, against an enemy. 




EOMAlf GEISTEKAL. 




THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



121 



Eoman subjugation of Judea. 



, As lie knew quite well that the Jews, who retained a zeal for the law of Moses, 
could never be reconciled to him for their king, he made it the policy of his reign to 
undermine the faith of the people in the protection of God, as a defender distinct 
from the power of the Eoman empire ; and, as far as he cotild, he tried to overthrow 
and root out the spiritual work of Ezra. He placed a gilt eagle, the Eoman ensign, 
at the entrance to the Temple; and the Jews, irritated at this affront, rose in 
tumult and tore it down. This act of resistance cost three thousand of the people 
their lives. Thus the fulness of time began to draw near for the birth of the 
Messiah, the prince, the expectation of all nations. The sceptre was departing 
from Judah. 




ROMAN STANDARD, 



122 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHT. 



The Koman Power. 




CHAPTER VIIL 



INTEODUCTOKY TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 



550. What was the great ruling potoer at the birth of 
our Saviour ? 

The Boman Empire, wliioh had conquered and superseded 
the Greek and other preceding empires, and which held sway 
over every portion of the then known world. 

551. Wliy is it of the greatest importance to the reader of 
the New Testament to consider what was the origin of that 
empire, as tvell as its condition at that particular period ? 

Because it had arisen through the providence of God with a 
special view to the dissemination of his Gospel. 

552. This powerful and polished nation, to whom the whole human race now 
submitted, afforded, through its perfect centralization and the almost universal 
diffusion of its language, a vehicle for the spread of Divine truth. The mission of 
the family of Shem had been completed. The vocation of the Gentiles had com- 
menced. The hi^'herto favoured regions of Asia were to yield to the superior claims 
of the Gentile west. Jerusalem had been, and was for a short time longer, destined 
to be the scene of many great — even of the greatest events — in the order of provi- 
dence; but it would at last go into a final captivity with its children, and the 
sons of Japhet should claim the inheritance. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHV. 123 



The Roman Power. 

553. What was the origin of the Roman ^poioej" ? 
Eome is supposed to liave been founded about tbe year of 

the world 3256, 748 years B.C., by some Greek immi- 
grants. 

554. The foundations of the renowned city of Eome were laid by Eomulus and 
Eemus. This event was contemporaneous with the reign of Hezekiah, king of 
Judah. Its first inhabitants were chiefly of three tribes — the Eamnenses, or 
Eomanenses, hence the word Eome, the Titienses, and the Luceres. In order to 
increase his popiilation, Eomulus opened an asylum or sanctuary, inviting thereto 
those who, Irom whatever cause, fled from the neighbouring cities. Eome was 
accordingly soon filled by the discontented, the guilty, or the aspiring, who sought 
a wider field for their exploits than their own country afforded. From a small 
beginning, and by slow degrees, the city gradually rose to eminence, until it became 
the seat of the fourth great empire predicted by Daniel (Dan. ii. 40), and obtained 
the name of the lord of the whole earth, the head and queen of it. 

555. What is the estimated number of the suhjects of the 
JRoman JEmjperor at the date of our Saviour s hirth ? 

The total amount is thought to have reached about one 
hundred and twenty million souls. 

556. This vast census, greater than that of the whole of Europe at the present 
time, foi-med the most numerous society that has ever been united under the 
san?e system of government. 

557. What was the nature of the Roman government! 

It was at first monarchical. After two hundred and forty 
years it took a republican or consular form ; finally, under 
Octavius Caesar, B.C. 29, E^ome became an empire. 

558. When the Christian era commences — ^year of Eome (or from the date of 
the building of the city) 754 — the empire had for its eastern limit the river Euphrates 
— the cataracts of the Nile, the African deserts, and Mount Atlas for ts southern — 
the Atlantic Ocean for its western — and the Danube and Ehine for its northern 
boundaries. The subjugated countries that lay beyond the limits of Italy were 
designated by the general name of provinces. 

559. What was the religion of the Roman empire at the 
hirth of our Lord ? 

It was an unmixed paganism, or a deeply-rooted idolatry 
of the grossest kind. 

As the "foiu'th" great empire spoken of by Daniel, it is important to reconsider 
the words of prophecy as recorded in the celebrated passage, Dan. ii. 31—45; they 
fomi part of Nebuchadnezzar's remarkable dream as foEows : — 



124 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



The Eoman Power. 



" Thou, O Mng, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose 
brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. 

" This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his ai-ms were of silver, 
his beUy and his thighs of brass. 

"His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the 
image upon his feet of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 

"Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the sUrer, and the gold, broken to 
pieces together, and became lilce chaif of the summer thrashing-floors ; and the 
wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that 
smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 

"This is the dream; and we wiU tell the interpretation thereof before the 
king. 

"Thou, O king, art a king of Idngs: for the God of heaven hath given thee 
a Tcingdom* power, and strength, and glor>'. 

" And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the 
fowls of the heaven, hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler 
over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 

" And after thee shall arise another kingdomf inferior to thee, and another 
tkij'd Tcingdom of brass,+ wliich shall bear rule over the whole earth. 

*' And the fourth kingdom\\ shall be strong as iron : forasmuch as iron breaketh 
in pieces and subdueth aU things ; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break 
in pieces and bruise. 

" And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay and part of 
iron, the kingdom shall be divided ;§ but there shall be in it of the strength of iron, 
forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 

" And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay ; so the lungdom 
shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 

" And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle them- 
selves with the seed of men ; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron 
is not mixed with clay. 

" And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom u-Jiich 
shall never be destroyed : ^ and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it 
shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

" Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without 
hands,** and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the 
gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass here- 
after ; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." 

560. At wJiat period did Judea become a Moman ^province 1 
In the year B.C. 63, under the riv^al priestliood of Hyrcanus 
and Aristobulus. 



* The empire of Babylon. t Of the Persians. % Of the Greeks. 

II Of the Eomans. § Into the Eastern and the Western empirea. 

^ The Christian Kingdom, or Church. 
** Keferring to the miraculous conception of Jesus Christ. 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 125 



The Eoman Power. 



561. The cii'cumstauces under which this event fell out, have been mentioned 
under the head of " Maccabees." They are here briefly repeated. The Eomans and 
Jews first came into political contact when Judas Maccabaeus, with a xievr to his 
defence against the " Greeks," represented by Demetrius, king of S}-ria, and in 
contraTentiou, as pious Jews consider, of the fundamental relations which a true 
Hebrew rider should have held ■«'ith God, made a treaty offensive and defensive with 
the consular power, B.C. 161. The immediate successors of Judas Maccabaeus 
renewed this treaty, and Judea was admitted by Eome into the rank of friends 
(socii) of the Eoman people. John HjTcanus, the successor of Simon Maccabaeus, 
enjoj^ed his dignity as an independent Jewish prince. But Hyrcanus II., quarrelling 
■with Aristobulus II., they appealed to Eome. Pompey, who then i-uled the republic 
seems to have deemed this a favourable moment for annexing the kingdom of Judea 
to the dominions of Eome. He at first temporized, siding alternately with both the 
rivals. But in the year 63, he came to Damascus and marched over Ccelo-Syria, 
where he was met by ambassadors from Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. But besides 
these there awaited the victorious general a deputation from the Jewish nation, 
opposed to both the claimants, who were alleged by it to be subverters of the regular 
government, and anxious only to aggrandize themselves. He accordingly at once 
marched to Jerusalem, captured the city, made Hyrcanus high priest and prince of 
the Jews, restricting his territory and imposing tribute. This is the event from 
which the termination of the liberty of Judea, as a nation, is to be reckoned. 
Henceforth the Jews formed a portion of the subjects of the empire. Their kingdom 
was a part of the "province" of Syria.* 

562. In lu/iat wai/ did the Itoman conquest of Judea affect 
the Jeioish worship and ceremonial ? 

Except tliat the high priest became the nomiDee of the 
chief consul or emperor, or of his favourite, the Jews ^yere 
left very much to themselves, and enjoyed their usual freedom 
of worship. 

563. Acting on the principle that aU unnecessary evil was gratuitous folly, the 
Eoman conqueror generally availed himself of the aid afforded by existing insti- 
tutions, and only ventured to give displeasure by establishing new ones in cases 
where the laws and customs of a country were insufficient for his purposes. 

564. Why was it noiv true that the sceptre had departed 
from, Judah ? 

Because, although left with some freedom of action as 
related to religion and its observances, the government and 



* II is worthy of remark, that this conquest of Jerusalem, and with it of all 
Judea, by Pompey, B.C. 63, took place upon the very day when the Jews were 
observing a solemn fast and lamentation in commemoration of its capture by Nebu- 
chadnezzar. Twelve thousand Jews were massacred in the temple courts, including 
many priests, who died at the very altar rather than suspend the sacred rites. 



126 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



New Testament Names. 

rule in every respect merged in that of the Eoman senate, and this 
so thoroughly and effectually that they were never recovered. 

565. IVhy is Palestine so called ? 

Because it is the country of Philistia, or of the Philistines. 

566. The name occurs in many ancient wi-iters, among whom is Josephus, and 
is by them applied to the whole region possessed by the Israelites. 

567. Why ivas it called Canaan ? 

From Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, who first possessed 
and planted it. (Gen. xi. 31.) 

568. This denomination was anciently confined to the country between the 
Mediterranean and the Jordan ; but, subsequently, the land of Gilead beyond the 
Jordan, Phoenicia, and Philistia came to be included under the common name of 
Canaan. 

569. Why was the term ^' Holy Land'' first applied? 
Because of the passage in Zechariah ii. 12, " The Lord 

Mhall inherit Judah, his portion in the Holy Land." 

570. The land is here called "Holy" as being the Lord's property, and 
sanctified by his temple and worship ; but Christians in applying the term regard 
it more as the scene of the life, travels, and sufierings of Christ. Jerusalem was 
situated on the southern boundary of the tribe of Benjamin, in latitude 31° b(f. 
It is thirty-seven miles distant from the Mediterranean Sea, and twenty-three 
from the Jordan, 

The " Holy City" was built upon three hills, and was bounded on three sides by 
valleys, viz., on the east, west, and south ; but on the north there was merely a steep 
dechvity. The most lofty of these hills was Zion, otherwise called " the city of 
David." The hiU of Moriah was situated to the east of Zion, and was separated 
from it by a deep valley intervening. Upon this hill the temple was bmlt. There 
was a third hill of less elevation than either of those which have been mentioned, 
situated to the north, and separated from Moriah and Zion by a valley. It has 
been named in modern times Acra. 

At the bottom of mount Moriah, to the south-east, flowed the fountain Siloam, 
or Siloe, the only fountain whose waters gladdened the city. 

Both the valley which separates the city on the east from the much more lofty 
inoiint of Olives, and the winter torrent which flows through it, were called by the 
common name of Kedron. To the south of the city is "the valley of the son of 
Hinnom," in which was the place called " Tophet," rendered famous on account of 
the immolation of children, which, in the idolatrous times, was witnessed there. To 
the west is the valley of Gihon. The approach of an army to the city, from either 
of these three valleys, was difficult ; it was, therefore, commonly attacked on the 
north. Many of the gates of the city are mentioned in various parts of the sacred 
writings, but the exact situation of them it is now difficult to ascertain. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



127 



New Testament Appellations. 



571. Why is the Gospel so called? 

Because it was a dispensation of good news to man, the 
Greek word " evangelion" translated Gospel, signifying glad 
tidings. 

572. The English word, literally rendered, is "good news," or "tidings." The 
term " good tidings " is found in St. Luke ii. 10 : " And the angel said unto them, Fear 
not ; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 
Tor unto you is born this day in the city of DaTid, a Saviour, which is Christ 
the Lord." 

This, however, and the titles to the books generally, it is scarcely necessary to 
remark, were not affixed by the authors themselves, but are the work of compilers or 
editors. Like the prefaces and " head-lines," they are simply for utUity, and are 
not supposed to be included in the inspired portion of the sacred writings. 

573. Why is the prefix " saint'' used in connection with the 
names of the Ne\o Testament toriters, 
the apostles, and evangelists ? 

Because, being the authors of holy 
books, the mouthpieces of the Holy 
Ghost, and in most instances the 
workers of miracles, it is only reason- 
able to conclude that they were them- 
selves holy, the word saint meaning 
a holy or sanctified person. 

574. St. Paul speaks in his epistles of the 
first Chi-istians as saints, "the elect of Grod," 
"called to be saints." He solicits alms for the 
poor saints at Jerusalem. In one place he says, 
" The saints that are in thy house." The faithful 
are exhorted continually to be holy, that is, 
saints. Hence the title as apphed by a vast 
majority of the Christian world to the Apostles 
and Evangelists. 

575. Who was St. Mattheto ? 
He was a native of Galilee, the 

son of Alpheus, a Jew and a tax- 
gatherer, and was also known by the 
name of Levi. He was called to ^t. hatthew. 

follow Christ in the second year of our Lord's public 
ministry. 




128 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



l^ew Testament Authors. 



576. St. Matthew was what is called a portitor or sub-collector of customs at 
Capernaum, on the lake of Tiberias (the sea of Galilee) ; he was not a publicanus, 
or farmer-general of customs. Thus it is evident that he belonged to what is 
termed the lower classes, a class which seems to have had our Sa'sdour's special 
jjreference. He preached and ministered with the other apostles, at first in Judea, 
and afterwards in India, where he at length suifered martj'rdom. His gospel comes 
first in order, as being the first written. Unlike the other gospels, this was written 
in Hebrew. 



577. Why does this gospel commence witli the genealogy of 
Cftrist ? 

Because, according to St. Irenseus, it was written to the 
Jews, who greatly desired to learn how Christ could be of the 
family of David. Matthew, having the power to show them 
this, undertook that special work ; 
and hence the genealogy. 

578. Who was St. Mark ? 

He was a native of Judea, the com- 
panion and secretary of St. Peter, with 
whom he travelled and preached. 

579. Why did lie write his gos- 
pel? 

Because, as we learn from Eusebius, 
in his "Ecclesiastical History," he 
had been requested to do so by the 
converts at Rome. 



580. That celebrated historian says that, fol- 
lowing upon the wonderful success which St. Peter's 
preaching had in the imperial city, the conyerts 
were very desirous of possessing a consecutive 
account of the gospel transactions. They natu- 
rally applied to St. Mark, his secretary or amanu- 
ensis, and prevailed upon him to put it down in 
writing ; but St. Mark had not seen our Saviour, 
ST. MARK. ^^^ hence his gospel had to be dictated by St. 

Peter. 
The Gospel of St. Mark was written in Greek, according to St. Jerome, 
St. Augustine, and others, though from the style and frequent Hebraisms 
his native country is clearly evident. He was much better acquainted with the 
Hebrew than the Greek. He, for the most part, adheres to the account furnished 




THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



129 



ISTew Testament Authors. 



by St. Matth ivr, often uses tlie same words, and in many places does but abridge 
the history; he alters, indeed, the order of the narrative at times, and relates 
several entire facts of which St. Matthew makes no mention. 

St. Mark wrote his gospel about the third year of Claudius, that is, about the 
forty -fifth year of our Lord. His diction is concise and expressive ; his periods are 
concluded with pleasing and elegant simplicity. The characteristic peculiarity of 
tliis evangelist as an author have been thus pointed out : — 1, he reports the acts 
rather than the words of our Saviour ; 2, he gives details more minutely and 
graphically than Matthew and Luke; 3, he is more particular in stating definite 
numbers, and furnishes m.ore exact dates and times. 



581. Wk^ does Si. Mark omit t/ie commendatory expression 
of our Lord in favour of tJie Apostle Peter, tohich St. Mattheiv 
mentions, lohile lie is very particular in the mention of St. 
Peter's fall and denial of his Master ? 

Because the gospel of St. Mark was dictated chiefly by St. 
Peter, who, from his great humility, 
chose that the evangelist should so write. 

582. This is the opinion of St. Chrysostom, 
who adds, that it was from a similar motive that 
only two out of the four evangelists were apostles. 
The latter were the chief actors in the gospel 
history; and where such miracles were wrought, 
and such extraordinary gifts bestowed, they shrank 
from being the narrators. 

583. Who was St. Luke ? 
He was a native of Antioch, the 

capital city of Syria, the companion 
of St. Paul in his apostolical excur- 
sions, and styled by him " the beloved 
physician and his fellow-labourer." 

534. It is argued, from the form of his name, 
that St, Luke had been a slave, and had received 
the gift of freedom. Among the higher ranks 
of the Eomans the profession of physician was 
considered derogatory, and was left to the inferior 
classes. History furnishes instances of slaves 
receiving their freedom from the fact of their 
skilful treatment of disease. "\Mien or how the 
evangelist became a proselyte to the Christian 
religion is uncertain. It would appear that he ^^- '^^^^■^ 

followed his profession jointly with that of an evangelist, and that this might 
easily be needs no argument. St. Jerome informs us that he was very eminent in 
his profession. A trad'tion attributes to St. Lu'--e some skill m pamtmg also. Upon 




130 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



New Testament Authors. 



this supposition the artists have frequently adopted St. Luke as a kind of patron, 
and the great academy of Eoman art is called after his name. This evangelist 
appears to have been mo constant in his attendance upon the great apostle of the 
Gentiles. He was with him in Kome through his first long imprisonment and 
after his release. St. Paul, during his last imprisonment, writes that the rest had 
all left him, and that Liike alone was with him (2 Tim. iv. 11). After the 
martyrdom of his friend, St. Luke preached in Italy, Gaul, and Greece. By the 
term Gaul some understand Galatia, which was likely, from its proximity to 
Greece. Paulinus states that St. Luke suffered martyrdom at Elaea, in Pelo- 
ponnessus, near Achaia, by being crucified, about the year 90. 

585. Why was St. Luke's gospel written ? 

Because certain erroneous accounts of tlie gospel trans- 
actions had obtained circulation, whicli it was very desirable 
an authentic history should supersede. 

586. To prevent the mischief that might arise from thence, he diligently 
informed himself of the real truth from those enlightened apostles who had been 
acquainted with our Saviour " from the beginning ;" he collected a circumstantial 
account of the things which Jesus had said and 
done from those who, as he himself says, were 
" from the beginning eye-witnesses and ministers 
of the Word" (ch. i.), for he was not conversant 
with our Saviour as St. Matthew and St. John were. 

By a special disposition of the divine wisdom, 
it was ordained, says St. Augustine, that the evan- 
gelical history should be written by two men who 
had not seen the deeds they relate, to the end 
we might learn to submit our understanding in 
obedience to divine faith, whether it be com- 
municated to us by an apostle or only by a 
disciple of an apostle ; for the certitude of truth 
which is contained in the gospel rests not upon 
the grounds of human evidence, which at most 
can afford us nothing more than a moral certainty ; 
it rests upon the special assistance of the Holy 
Ghost, who could not inspire the sacred penmen 
to write any thing but what was true. 

The language of St. Luke's gospel is very 
pure ; the author vras well versed in the Greek 
tongue, and wrote it both elegantly and per- 
spicuously. He is thought to have written the 
gospel in the year 53. 

587. WJio was St. Jolin the ^ 
Evangelist ? 

He was a native of the town of 
Bethsaida, tht son of Zebedee, and brother to St. James tlie Great. 




ST. JOHK THE EVAJfGELIST. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 131 

Xew Testament Authors. 

588. It may be -n-ortli wMle to consider for a moment the worldly position of 
the evangelist's father. Zebedee was the owner of a fishing-boat on the lake of 
Gennesaret, and with his sons followed the business of a fisherman. He was 
present, mending the nets with them, when Jesus called James and John to foUow 
him ; and as he offered no obstacle to their obedience, but remained alone -(vithout 
murmuring in the vessel, it is to be presumed that he had been previously a disciple 
of the Baptist, and as such knew Jesus to be the Messiah. It is not necessary to 
suppose that, as a fisherman, Zebedee was abjectly poor; the possession of a boat or 
fishing-ship was one proof, at least, that he was comparatively independent. 

St. John, from his pure and amiable manners, became the favourite of Jesus ; 
he was with him at his transfiguration on mount Tabor, and in the garden of 
Gethsemane ; he leaned upon his Master's bosom at the last supper, was near him 
during his trial, and stood with the mother of Jesus imder the cross. After the 
descent of the Holy Ghost, he preached the faith in Asia Minor, where he founded 
different churches. St. John was Bishop of Ephesus. Being called to Eome, he 
was condemned by the Emperor Domitian to be cast ahve into a caiddron of boiling 
oil; but being miraculously preserved, and coming out more fresh and vigorous than 
he entered in, says Tertullian, he was banished to the isle of Patmos. Here he was 
favoured with the visions which form the subjects of the book of Eevelation. 
After Domitian's death, St. John returned to Ephesus, wrote his gospel about the 
year 93, and died a.d. 100. 

589. W7iy was St. John's Gospel written ? 

In consequence of the heresies of Cerinthus and Ebion 
(a.d. 90 — 98), who impiously asserted doctrines which aimed at 
the ver}' root of Christianity in denying the divine nature of 
Christ. 

590. They asserted, to the great scandal of the infant churches, that Jesus Christ 
had no existence previous to his birth of the Virgin Mary — in other words, that He 
was a mere man. St. John, as the last survivor of the twelve, was therefore called 
upon by the unanimoiis voice of the Chiirch to write his indignant refutation. Hence 
this Gospel according to St. John, is higher in aim and more dignified in style than 
the three preceding ones. "St. John," says St. Augustine, in his commentary, 
"was in an especial manner made choice of to unfold the divinity of Jesus Christ. 
The other three evangelists seem to walk with their Master upon the earth, and in 
their progress relate the actions of his mortal life; while St. John, like an eagle, 
soars aloft above the clouds of huiftan understanding, and, penetrating into the 
bosom of the Eather, fixes his eye upon the divine Word, the co-eternal Son of God, 
without being dazzled by the rays, or overpowered by the gloiy of infinite majesty." 

The essential aim, then, of this gospel is the manifestation of the glory of Jesus 
Christ, as displayed in establishing a religion which, spiritual in its nature, universal 
in its spread, and everlasting in its operation and effects, should supersede Judaism 
and every form and relict of Judaical usages and notions. This aim is pursued in a 
regular and systematic arrangement. 

591. What is the meaning of the word Apostle ? 

The term is generally employed in the New Testament aa 



132 



THE BIBLICAL llEASOi^ WHY. 



The Twelve Apostles. 



the descriptiye appellation of a comparatively small class of 
men to whom Jesus Christ entrusted the organization of 
his Church, aud the dissemination of his religion among 
mankind, 

592. He ordained twelve of his disciples " that they should be with Him." 
These He named apostles. *' He gave to them power against unclean spirits to 
cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease," and " He sent them to preach the 
kingdom of God." To them He gave the keys of the kingdom of God, and con- 
stituted them princes over the spiritual Israel. 
Previously to his death He promised to them the 
Holy Spirit, to fit them to be the founders and 
governors of the Christian Church. After his 
resurrection He solemnly confirmed their call, 
saying, "As the Father hath sent me, so send I 
you;" and gave them a commission to preach the 
gospel to every creature. At the Feast of Pen- 
tecost they received the plenitude of these spiritual 
gifts through the infusion of the promised Com- 
forter, or Holy Ghost. Then, for the first time, 
they had "the mind of Christ" — "thenceforth 
they spoke not in words which man's wisdom 
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." 
They authoritatively taught the doctrine and the 
law of their Lord, and organized churches. Of 
the twelve originally ordained to the apostleship, 
one, Judas Iscariot, fell, and Matthias was, by 
lot, substituted for him. After the martyrdom 
of St. James, St. Paul, miraculously converted and 
called to the office, filled the vacancy in the 
apostolic college. The word apostle, signifying a 
messenger, is beautifully alluded to by the prophet 
Malachi (iii. 1). 




were 



twelve apostles 



593. W/i^ 
cliosen? 

Because that was the number of 
ST. PETEE. ^^g ^^"l^gg ^|. ispael— the apostles 

being mysticall}'' constituted the heads of the tribes of the 
new Israel, or Church of the gospel dispensation. 

594. The number twelve had a mystical signification, symbolizing just proper- 
tion, beauty, stability, and the like. Thus, Exod. xxiv. 4, twelve pillars according to 
the twelve tribes ; I Kings xviii. 31, Elijah took twelve stones and built an altar. 
1 Kings xix. 19, Elisha ploughed with twelve yoke of oxen Job xxxviii. 32, " Cans* 
thou bring forth the twelve signs ?" Ezek, xliii, 16, " The altar shall be twelve 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



133 



The Twelve Apostle 



cubits long and twelve troad ;" Matthew xiv. 20, " They took vip of the fragments 
twelve baskets." Here we see that the multiplication of the loaves being strictly 
miraculous, our Lord chose that the overplus should bear a symbolical proportion. 
Matt. xxvi. 53, " twelve legions of angels;" Luke ii. 42, "When Jesus was twelve 
years old." Bossuet says upon this point, "We are to observe in the numbers a 
certain figurative proportion which the Holy Ghost deigns to point out to observation. 
This number of twelve (Eev. vii. 4), multiplied by itself and then by a thousand 
makes 144,000. In the soHd proportion of 
this square number, the unchangeable nature 
of God and his promises are indicated." 

595. Who was St. Peter? 
He was the son of Jonas, and, 

as well as liis brother Andrew, a 

fisherman, who lived in the state of 

wedlock at Capernaum ; having, 

however, been born at Bethsaida. 

Peter may be briefly described as 

one who, having been called by the 

Saviour of the world, earned, by 

the fine traits of his character, 

the honour of being regarded as 

their speaker and representative 

by his fellow-disciples, and the 

high esteem of his Master, who 

reposed great confidence in him, 

which, eventually at least, was 

proved to be deserved by the zeal 

and wisdom with which he preached 

the gospel, especiallv among his 

fellow - countrymen, the Jews. 

Tradition represents him as having visited Home, and been the 

first bishop of that imperial city, where he was crucified about 

the same time that his fellow-labourer, the Apostle Paul, 

sufiered. 

596. Who was St. Andrew ? 

He was one of the first disciples of Christ, and 
orother of the Apostle Peter. His native place was 
Bethsaida, on the lake Genesareth, where he and his brother 
carried on the trade of fishing. Before he joined Jesus he had 




134 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



The Twelve Apostles. 



been a disoiple of John the Baptist. In the gospel narrative 
we find him in constant and intimate connection with our 
Saviour. The book of Acts mentions him only once, a fact 
which, with others of a similar nature, may serve to show that 
the accounts of the early Church, that have come down to us, 
by no means contain the entire history ; probably, more has 
been lost than we actually possess. 
Tradition makes him travel as a mis- 
sionary in various countries — Scythia, 
Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, and 
Achaia; and, at the order of the 
Roman pro-consul, whose wife and 
brother he had converted, to sufier 
martyrdom at Patrse, in Achaia, on the 
gulf of Lepanto, on a kind of cross, 
something like a letter X, and named 
from him a " St. Andrew's cross." 

597. Who was St, James the 
Elder ? 

He was a son of the Galilean 
Zebedee and Salonie, and brother of 
the Apostle John (the beloved dis- 
ciple), in conjunction with whom he, 
while pursuing his occupation as a 
fisherman, was called to the high office 
of being an apostle of Jesus Christ. 
The two, with Peter, were admitted to 
the special confidence of the Lord, so 
that James was present at his transfiguration, and at his 
humiliation in the garden ; a privilege which may have been 
the occasion why their mothers preferred a petition for 
their pre-eminence (" That they might sit, the one on his 
right hand, and the other on his left in his kingdom"). 

598. The activity which James displayed during the lifetime of our Lord, appears 
to have been resumed with correspondent power after his ascension and the 
establishment of the infant Church, for he was made an object of the wrath of Herod 
Agrippa, who, a.d. 43, caused him to be beheaded. 




ST. JAMES THE ELDER. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



135 



The Twelve Apostles. 

599. Who was St. John?^ 

He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and younger brother 
of the Apostle James the Elder. Like the other members of 
Zebedee's family, he was a fisherman. As his father employed 
hired servants, it is understood that he was in good circum- 
stances, having a house of his own, to which, at the direction of 
Jesus from the cross, he took our Lord's te other. 



600. This apostle was related to the family of Jesus, and is numbei-ed, on that 
account, with our *' Lord's brethren." John at 
first attached himself to the Baptist, the fore- 
runner of Christ, being probably present when the 
former gave his testimony to Jesus and proclaimed 
Him to be the Lamb of God. Soon after this 
meeting, our Lord expressly called John and his 
brother, with Peter and Andrew, tbeir com- 
panions, while engaged in their calling, to be 
his followers and apostles. 

In illustration of his peculiarly amiable cha- 
racter in after life, tradition has preserved the fol- 
lowing anecdotes : — On one occasion, being engaged 
in his apostolic duties, he saw a young man distin- 
guished for bodily and mental endowments, whom, 
on leaving the place, he commended to the special 
care and oversight of the bishoj). At first no pains 
wei"e spared toiufonn the mind and enrich the soul 
of this pupil ; but when he had undergone baptism, 
the bishop utterly neglected him. In consequence, 
the youth was by degrees estranged from the Chris- 
tian Kfe, fell a prey to temptation, and became 
chief of a band of robbers, all of whom lie outdid 
in cruel and bloodtliirsty deeds. After some time 
St. John returned, learned the sad fate of his pupil, 
and at once set out to seek and save him, regardless 
of his own age and feebleness, and the dangers of 
his errand. He found the object of his search, 
induced him to quit his evil companions, and, by 
the gentle persuasion of Christian love, brought st. philip. 

him to sincere repentance. 

Many years after the above occurrence, when, through the weight of years, he 
could appear in thd tenaple of public worship only when carried thither by the 
pious hands of his disciples, and was no longer in a condition to give utterance to 
a continued discourse, he was wont to say on all occasions nothing but these 
words, "Little children, love one another." At last, some persons being dissatisfied 




St. John is here considered as an Apostle. 



136 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



The Twelve Apostles. 

at always hearing the same thing, asked him, " Master, why sayest thou always 
this?" He answered, "Because it is the command of the Lord; and when this is 
done, it is enough." 

601. Who teas Si. Fhilip ? 

He was one of tlie twelve apostles, born at Betlisaida of 
Galilee. It is probable that previously to his call to the 
apostleship he was personally known 
to Jesus. Very little is recorded of 
Philip in the gospels. We find him 
in connection with the miraculous mul- 
tiplication of the loaves and fishes 
(John vi. 5, 7), and his request to 
Jesus, " Lord, show us the Father, 
and it sufficeth us," proves that, like 
the other apostles previous to their 
enlightenment through the descent 
of the Holy Ghost, he had but a very 
low view of the nature of the new 
dispensation, 

603. According to the ecclesiastical tradition, 
Philip preached the gospel in Phrygia, and suffered 
crucifixion under the Emperor Domitian, 

603. Who tuas St. Bartholomew ? 
He was the same person, with 
Nathaniel, whom our Lord so highly 
praises in the words, " Behold, an 
Israelite indeed, in whom there is no 
guile." Very little is known of this 
apostle's history — perhaps less than 
that of any other. He is said to have preached in India, and 
to have suffered death by flaying. For this reason St. Bar- 
tholomew is represented in ancient pictures and sculptures 
with a knife in his hand. 




ST. BAKTHOI/OMEW. 



604. An eminent writer,* says, " There is a great disproportion between 
the amount of good which the Apostles wrought, and the space that their names 



People's Dictionary of the Bible.' 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY, 



137 



The Twelve Apostles. 

occupy on the page of history. A very few lines relate all that is known respect- 
ing Bartholomew. Even his name is a subject of doubt. J^g, first view, it is impos- 
sible not to regret this want of fuU and detailed information. We soon, however, 
learn to see that in this, as in other cases, the actual ordinations of Providence are 
the best. Bartholomew and his associates had a great work to perform, and were 
so ardently and exclusively engaged in it, that 
they had neither time nor thought to write 
down their deeds. They were too busy, too 
disinterested, too unconscious, to become his- 
torians of their own doings. They were men 
of deeds, not of words ; intent on saving the 
world, rather than in erecting a memorial to 
their own honour ; and so, in active and cease- 
less labours, their lives passed away till the 
time was gone when they themselves had 
strength, and others could not readily, in that 
age, find materials for biography. They died, 
and left to earth only the blessed deeds which 
they had wrought — their own holy example, 
and the good and happy lives of their nume- 
rous converts. They died, and found their 
reward on high." 

605. Who ivas St. Thomas ? 

He was one of the twelve ; 
according to some, a native of 
Galilee, and to others, of An- 
tiocha. His name signifies a 
" twin ;" in Greek Dldymus. Tra- 
dition mentions his twin sister 
Lysia The transactions relative ■ 
to this Apostle, narrated in the 
Gospels, show that he was of a 
very ardent temperament. " Let us go also," he said to the 
other disciples, when Jesus was about to visit the weeping 
sisters of the deceased Lazarus, " that we may die with Him." 

If Thomas was incredulous of our Lord's resurrection, it was not from aiij 
but the best naotives. "A resolute and lively faith is ever necessarily combined 
with a sense of the importance of evidence, and vrith a desire to keep its objects 
unalloyed and free from error and superstition. Christ himself did not blame 
Thomas for availing himself of all possible evidence, but openly pronounced them 
blessed who would be open to conviction, even if some external form of evidence 
should not be within their reach."* 




ST. THOMAS. 



* Dr. C. H. r. BiaUoblotzky. 



138 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



The Twelve Apostles. 



lu the distribution of their labours by the apostles, Parthia feU to the lot 
of Thomas, as we aai informed by Origen. After preaching with success in this 
kingdom, he extended his mission over other parts of the East. Soj)hromu3 
mentions that by his labours he estaMished the faith among the Medes, Persians, 
Carmanians, and other nations of those parts. Modern Grreek authors claim 
St. Thomas as the Apostle of both India and Ethiopia ; but the last term is very 
vague, being given sometimes to Asia and sometimes to a portion of Africa. Most 
accounts agree that this Apostle suffered martyrdom in some part of the 
East Indies. 

606. Who teas St. Mattheio ? 

He was both an apostle and an evangelist; a HebreTV, 
born in Galilee, and, previous to bis 
conversion, joortitor, or tax-gatherer. 
(See par. 575.) 

607. WJio was St. Jganes, called 
" tJte less" ? 

He was an apostle, and the writer 
of an epistle called the General Epistle 
of James. 

608. Who was St. Jude ? 
He was one of the apostles, the 

author of the Epistle of St. Jude, 
and a relative of our Lord. It would 
appear that St. Jude was cousin to 
Jesus, his mother being Mary, the 
wife of Cleophas, and the sister of 
the blessed Virgin. 

609. Who was Simon, surnamed 
Zelotes ? 

He was one of the apostles, and 

was called Zelotes from his having 

ST, JAMES THE LESS. bclongcd to a certain party among 

the Jews called Zealots. He is also called " the Canaanite," 

which does not mean a Gentile, but was an Aramaic name, 

bearing the same signification as Zelotes. 

610. Simon is the least known of all the apostles, whether -e confine our search 
for his annals to the pages of Scripture, or extend them i. .he traditions of the 
Fathers. From the former source, not a single fact boyond his appointment to 




THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



139 



The Twelve Apostles. 



the apostleship is mentioned. The martyrologies of Jerome, Bede, Ado, and 
Usuord place the scene of his labours and suffering ia Persia, at a city called 
Suanir. It is stated in the apocryphal acts of St. Andrew, that in the Cimmerian 
Bosphorus there was a tomb in a grotto, with an 
inscription importing that Simon the Zealot was 
interred there. His death is said to have been 
caused by the idolatrous priests. Those who 
mention his death say that he -was crucified. 



611. Why were St. John and Ms 
brother James called Boanerges, or 
sons of thunder ? 

Because of the great zeal wliicli 
induced them, before beiug enlight- 
ened bj the inspirations of the Holy 
Ghost upon the day of Pentecost, to 
solicit permission from Christ to call 
down fire from heaven upon the 
heads of the Samaritans who rejected 
our Saviour. 

612. That the zeal of St. John, although 
misdirected on this occasion, was grounded upon 
the most generous motives, is beyond all question. 
He was the youngest of the apostles called to that 
office. He was the only one of them that stood 
firmly at the side of Jesus when He was led to ^1_ 
trial and suffering; to liim Avas consigned, from 
the cross itself, the care of the virgin mother of ^^' ^^'^^ 

our Lord; and as the author of the book of Eevelation, he was the last of the New 
Testament writers to whom the Word of God was directly communicated. 

613. Who was Judas Iscariot? 

He was a Hebrew, and native of Xerioth, a town of 
Judah. The appellation Iscariot (from Kerioth) was to distin- 
guish him from the Apostle Jude (Judas in Syriac-Greek). 

614. He commonly accompanied Jesus and the eleven other apostles, whose 
travelling purse he bore. In this office of treasurer he displayed a greedy and 
dishonest spirit. This is insinuated in John, chapter xii., verse 6, where it is said, 
" Not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag, and 
bare what was therein." Commentators agree that the word "bare" here signifies 
"to convey away," " to embezzle." This spirit urged him to sell his Master for 
thirty pieces of silver (shekels), a sum equal to about four pounds ten shillings of 
our money. In the garden of Gethsemane he accomplished his ^vickedness, betraying 




140 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOJST WHY. 



Why the Gospels were Written. 



his Master with a kiss, which served to make His person known to His foes. The 
perpetration of his wickedness, as is not unusual, brought remorse, and remorse 
rose to intolerable anguish, which drove Judas to an effort to rescue his Master; 
and this failing, to self-destruction. The extreme 
turpitude of Judas has led some persons to en- 
deavour, by any means, to find some mitigating 
circumstances in his guilty act ; but there can be 
little use in such a course. He appears to have 
been the slave of his avarice, which alone urged 
him to the commission of the crime with which 
he stands charged in the gospels. "His last 
ci-ime," that of despair, says an ancient father, 
" was his worst. If Judas had had recourse to 
sincere repentance and not to the halter, there 
was mercy in store even for the traitor." 

615. Why ivere no commands 
given by Christ for loriting the New 
Testament ? 

Because the truths of the New 
Covenant were to be impressed by 
the Holy Spirit, following upon the 
preaching and miracles of Jesus and 
his apostles. 

616. The independence of Christianity on 
dead letters necessarily postponed the time when 
its doctrines and facts were committed to writing, 
at least in so express and formal a manner as is 
implied in the composition of histories ; but the 

very epistles (of St. Paul) which conveyed those indirect reproaches against a 
religion in letters became the germ of a religious literature by far the richest as well 
most precious of all others, whose only great defect now is found to be a want o 
immediate connection with the first days of the planting of the gospel. That 
literature, under the guidance of Providence, came into existence at the bidding of 
circumstances* St. Paul's churches required instruction and correction; therefore 
he wrote epistles. For the conversion of large masses of the world, arguments in 
proof of the Messiahship of Jesus were needed different in character, like those for 
whom they were intended; hence the gospels. 




BT. SIMON ZELOTES. 



* The words here italicized are used in a limited sense. The present work 
engages to give the best reason why of the subject under consideration ; but there 
is no such thing, strictly speaking, as " the bidding of circumstances." Every 
thing is either ordered or permitted to be done by God, to whom every thing is 
known, whether as regards the past, the present, or the future ; for, in the words of 
the Apostle St. Paul (to the Athenians), " in Him we live, and move, and have 
onr being." (Acts xvii, 28.) 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



141 



Gospel" and "Epistle." 



617. Soio have the Neio Testament writings generally heen 
handed doton to us ? 

The compositions forming the JN'evr Testament were pri- 
marily hand-writings, or, to use the more common term, 
manuscripts. 

618. Sucli manuscripts, as proceeding from their authors, may be called 
autographs, from autos, "self," and graphein, to "grave," "to write;" as 
transcribed by others from the originals, apographs or copies. A manuscript is an 
autograph, whether written by the author or an amanuensis. The ancients seldom 
wrote their treatises A^'ith their own hands, but dictated them to others, called 
" swift writers," " fair writers," or simply " book writers." In this way, probably, 
a great part of the books of the ISTew Testament were written. With the progi'ess 
of the gospel, apographs were multiplied till they became very numerouus, inas- 
much as the demand for copies increased and spread on every side. Manuscripts, 
whether original or copies, comprised either portions or the whole of the New 
Testament. Such as comprised portions came first into existence ; they consisted ot 
one epistle or one gospel, or in each case of more than one. 

619. What was the origin of the prese^it division into 
gospels and epistles ? 

At an early period the Christian writings were read in 
the church assemblies, for which purpose they were divided 
into portions, contain- 
ing either select pas- 
sages which, when put 
together, received the 
common name of lec- 
tionari um,OY''rea.der ;" 
and if it contained the 
gos'p2ls, evangeliarium, 
" book of the gospels ;" 
if the acts and epistles, 
epistolare. 

620. The manuscripts were 
transcribed with great care 
and diligence, and trans- 
mitted from hand to hand, 
from church to church, and 
from age to age. At first 
transcription was the work of pious individuals : afterwards it became tha 
duty of the inhabitants of religious houses,* in most of which was set apart a 

* Monasteries. 




MEDIEVAL TKAKSCEIBEK. 



142 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 



New Testament Manuscripts. 



scriptorium, or writing-room, in which the transcription of manuscripts was syste- 
matically carried on. The conscientious care bestowed upon this important task 
secured the copies from depravation. The terrible words of St. John's last chapter, 
"He who adds to the words," etc., doubtless had its effect in maintaining their 
scrupulous fidelity; and we have reason to believe that, with some very triiiiDg 
exceptions, the MSS. have not suffered from falsification. These precious documents 
were thus preserved in and by writing till the revival of letters, when they were 
brought forth out of the dusty repositories in which they had long and quietly lain, 
and shortly after the invention of printing were happily put beyond the reach of 
danger by being consigned to the custody of the press. In order to appreciate the 
loving care and untiring patience of the old transcribers, the reader is advised to 
pay a visit to the manuscript department of the British Museum, where will be 
found a great many examples of the ancient mode of copying. 

621. What loas the material cliiefiy used for tJieir manu- 
scripts hy the loriters of the New Testament hoolcs ? 

Manuscripts at that time were for the most part written 
upon paper made from tlie papyrus plant (par. 13), but parch- 
ment made from skins of animals was also used. 

622. With regard to the manufacture of paper from papyrus, it should be 
observed that papyrus leaves, when they are dry, are apt to split in the direction 
of the fibres. It has commonly been found expedient, therefore, to glue others at 
the back in an opposite direction, and by thus crossing the fibres at right angles 
the texture is strengthened ; and when it has been pressed and polished, the page 
is less unseemly and inconvenient than might have been supposed. The inner 
bark of the papyrus was divided with a needle into very thin coats. These were 
placed side by side longitudinally, and the edges were glued together. Similar layers 
were glued across these behind at right angles to give the page the requisite 
strength. The sheets were then pressed, dried, polished, and otherwise prepared 
for use. Phny enumerates the various kinds of paper, from the coarsest, which 




CAPSA OE SCEIlflTTM FOB THE 
EECEPTION OF MSS. 




VOLITMEir OE MS. EOLL. 



Tras used, like our brown paper, for packing, to the most expensive and finest. 
At the zenith of the Eoman power Alexandria was the chief seat of this valuable 
manufacture. 

The exportation of paper being prohibited by one of the Ptolemies out of envy 
against Eumenes, king of Pergaraus, who endeavoured to rival him in the magnifi- 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



143 



Materials Used in their Preparation. 



cence of his library, the use of parchment, or the art of preparing skins for writing 
•was discovered at Pergamus; hence called Fergamena scripta, or memhrana, 
i.e., parchment. 

The Eomans commonly wrote only on one side of the paper or parchment ; and 
if the sheets had not been previously formed into a quire by the binders, they 
joined them together when they had finished what they had to write. They were 
then rolled upon a cylinder or staff; hence volumen, a volume or scroll. 

623. TF/iat is ilie origin and meaning of the word Codex ; 
as the " Codex Justinianus" *' Codex Theodosianus," etc. ? 

The codex consisted of single sheets of parchment or 
papyrus, fastened together behind with a slip or thong of 
leather. 

624. These differed from the volumen or scroll by being generally preserved 
flat, and formed the original of our present book. The title of a volume or code 
alon'g with the name of the author was sometimes written in red colours on the 
back of the fii'st sheet, which remained visible after the sheets had been rolled on 
the cylinder, and sometimes upon a slip of paper attached to the volxime. 

625. What is the origin of the word JRuhric ? 

It dates its origin from the above-mentioned red titles 
aJB&xed to the first pages or to the 
exteriors of volumes and codices. In- 
dices and marginal notes came at length 
to be thus distinguished ; hence the 
present rubric. 

626. What toas the 
nature of the inh 
used ? 

It appears to have 
been what is termed in 
art a "body-colour," 
or a more solid me- 
dium than is at present 
in use, and similar to 
what is itsed by the 
iKKSTAi^-D. modern Chinese. pugillaites. 





627. The reason for this opinion is to be found in the elevation of the letters 
upon the Herculaneum MSS. The inkhorns were sometimes made of lead, some- 
times of silver, and were generally polygonal in their form. (Fig. A.) In writing 
it was customary to make use of the Egyptian reed, Cidamns arnndo, though the 



144 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Origin of Commentaries. 

reed from the island of Cnidos was frequently preferred, (Quills were not used 
for writing until the seventeenth century.) These reeds were provided with slits 
like our modern pens. 

The instrument used for writing on waxen tahles was an iron pencil with a sharp 
point, called stylus or ffraphium. The stylus was broad at one end, so that when they 
Avished to correct anything they turned the stylus and smoothed the Avax with the 
broad end that they might write it anew. For the sake of this convenience, as well 
as for expedition, an author usually wrote on these tables previous to transcribing 
what he had written on paper or parchment. The Eomans usually carried with 
them wherever they went small writing-tables called pugillanes (Fig. B, p. 143), 
made of citron, box-wood, etc., and containing three, four, five, or more leaves.* 

628. Whi/ have so many commentaries %i]pon tlie sacred, 
Scriptures been considered necessary by theologians and by 
Christians generally ? 

Because of the necessity for transcription incidental to 
manuscript documents — and especially previous to the inven- 
tion of the art of printing — and the consequent liability to an 
imperfect and even a corrupt rendering. 

629. In the earUest period it was customary to write in initial, or capital letters, 
without making any distinction between single words by leaving a space, or between 
the different members of a sentence by punctuation. Hence errors might be easily 
committed by transcribers which it would be difficult afterwards to rectify. The 
lines were uniformly continuous in prose writers as well as in poets. After a time, 
smaller letters were introduced. But the most important fact is the habit of abbre- 
viating. Abbreviations occur not only in inscriptions upon monuments and coins, 
but also in MSS., and which appear to have been in use so long as the initial letters, 
and letters approximating in size to the initial, were adhered to. When the smaller 
letters came into use, and the abbreviations were gradually resolved, their meaning 
was but imperfectly understood, and thus errors were occasioned in the transcription 
of more ancient MSS. These abbreviations consist either in single letters for whole 
words, or in the first syllables of words, or also in particular signs, as in rhetorical, 
chemical, or musical works to denote different figures of speech, weights, and 
measures. The invention of these belongs, without doubt, to the Greeks. But they 
were used equally by Greek and Eoman writers. They were particularly made use 
of by transcribers in the miiltiphcation of copies. Another reason why commentaries 
are required is to be found in the various signification of the most common expres- 
sions scattered through the sacred text. These are — 

I. The literal signification, or sense, which is divided into the literal properly 
so called, or the plain acceptation of the words ; and figurative-fiteral, when it would 
be obviously wrong to use the proper literal, as when our Saviovir is called 
'♦ a lion," etc. 

♦ The Eomans never wore a sword or dagger in the city. They often, upon a 
sudden provocation, used the graphium or style as a weapon ; hence probably the 
stiletto of the modern Italians. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 145 



Difficulties of Interpretation. 

II. The mystical, or hidden sense, which is again divided : — 1. Into the alle- 
gorical, which refers to faith. 2. The tropological, or moral, relating to charity. And 
\i. The anagogical, or relating to hope. 

These different senses are exemplified in the word "Jerusalem" : — 

1. Jerusalem is taken in the literal sense when it means the capital of Judea, 

2. In a mystical-tropological sense when applied to the soul of man. 

3. In a mystical-allegorical, when applied to Christ's Church on earth ; and 
4- In a mystical-anagogical sense when applied to the Church triumphant iu 

heaven, or the state of the blessed. 

It has been stated (par. 16) that the first printed book was the Vulgate, or 
Latin translation of the Bible. The first printed commentary was that by Nicholas 
de Lyra, issued about 1476. De L}Ta, or Lyranus, was a native of Lyre in Normandy, 
from which place is name is derived. He was a converted Jew, and a man of great 
and comprehensive mind. He was among the earliest who brought Rabbinical 
learning to bear upon Christian archaeology and Biblical criticism in general. 

)30. TFhi/ do most of the New Testament Epistles 
commence with the name of the icriter ? 

Because such was the custom among all the best writers of 
that age ; indeed, it had become, by prescription, a kind of 
rule. 

631. In writing letters the Eomans always put their own name first, then that of 
the person or persons to whom they wrote, sometimes with the addition of suo* as 
a mark of familiarity or fondness. They always annexed the letter S. for saluteon, 
sc. dicit ("wishes health"). As their names were prefixed to the letters, conse- 
quently there was no necessity to subscribe them. A wish was sometimes added for 
the prosperity of the person to whom they wrote, and this was termed subscriptio. 
As the Eomans had no posts, letters were commonly despatched by messengers, and 
in these the name of this messenger was sometimes mentioned. 

632. Why did the Jews, as a people, reject Jesus Christ, 
failing to recognize in Him the promised Messiah ? 

In order to answer this question fully, it is necessary to 
consider that, although in possession of the books of Moses, 
of the Psalms, and the prophecies, which abounded in allusions 
to His advent, and pointed out the time and manner of His 
appearance, the Jews had become so grossly blinded to all 
spiritual things, that the very law and worship which they 
followed was a mere lip service, in which the heart had no 
place. 

633. They had come to expect in the Messiah an earthly prince — a kind of 
transcendant Solomon, who should conquer and subdue the earth for them, and lay 

* Jlis—e. g., Paul to his beloved Timothv. 
R 



146 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Kabbiuical Errors Concerning the Messiah. 



its spoils at their feet. The annexed extract, which applies to the present time, is 
equally pertinent with regard to the period of our Lord's life on earth : — 

" The greatest discordance prevails among the Jewish doctors respecting thetmie 
of the Messiah's anticipated coming. They pretend that his appearance is delayed 
by the iniquities of Israel, and denounce all who attempt to calculate the exact tune. 
' May their bones swell and burst,' exclaims the Talmud ; notwithstanding several 
calculations have been made, from time to time, and falsified. The advantages 
expected from the Messiah are entirely of a temporary, sensual, and earthly 
kind, but, of course, nothing is to be hoped for by the Gentiles. Rabbi Machir, 
who lived at the end of the 14th century, in a Avork entitled ' Avchath Eochel,' 
describes numerous commotions and prodigies wliich are to precede the conung 
of the Messiah. This account, in an abridged from, is as follows : — * When Israel 
shall be gathered from all nations, and brought into the land of their forefathers, 
and Messiah shall have rebuilt the city, and restored the temple with its services, He 
will celebrate, as the rabbis assure us, a royal festival, to which all Israelites wiU 
be invited, where they will have a gracious reception, and every one be seated at a 
golden table. At this feast He will entertain Himself and the company with a battle 
between Behemoth and Leviathan. The feats of Behemoth will be highly gratify- 
ing, and Leviathan will come armed with his scales as a breastplate and coat of 
mail. The battle wiU be fierce, but neither party wiU be victorious. Both will fall 
exhausted, when Messiah, -with a great and strong sword, ynW slay them. These 
tremendous animals, together with the enormous bird Bar Jachne, are then to be 
spitted andlaid to the fire, and all needful preparations made for the splendid banquet. 
Bread is to be obtained from wheat which will greatly surpass the growth of our 
days, as much as Bar Jachne exceeds a conunon bird. Sauce is to be yielded in 
perfection in the salted Leviathan ; and the dessert to consist of all the delicious pro- 
ductions of the garden of Eden, including even some of the fruit of the tree of life. 
The guests are to be treated with the most exquisite wine, which had been produced 
in Paradise immediately after the creation, and preserved in Adam's wine cellar for 
this great occasion. Toward the end of the feast, the Messiah wiU fill a cup for the 
guests, over which they are to say grace ; and the Messiah will be requested to per- 
form this office, but God will offer it to Michael, Michael to Gabriel, Gabriel to 
Abraham, Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Moses, Moses to Joshua ; but each declining 
in succession, God will assign it to David. The cup wiU contain about 214 gallons. 
What remains of the provisions will be divided among the guests, who will sell 
them in the market at Jerusalem. Of part of the skin of Leviathan will be made 
tabo.'uacles, pavilions, or awnings for the just, and the rest wiU be spread upon the 
wails of Jerusalem, diffusing a light to the extremities of the world. The banquet is 
to be followed, and the festival concluded, by music and dancing. The Messiah is 
afterwards to marry, having the daughters of kings for wives, but one of the most 
beautiful virgins of Israel as the principal vrife or queen. Different periods of time 
are allotted for the duration of his reign, but aU agree that He will die like other 
men, his son reigning ia his stead, and his posterity in succession."' — JEneycIap. 
2Ietropolitana : Article, " Cox's Biblical Antiquities." 

634. Whence has the practice originated of dating 
historical events from " the year of our Lord ? " 

It is to Dionysius tlie Little that we owe the custom of 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 



147 



The Chiistian Era or "Anno Domini." 



counting the years by tlie birth of our Saviour. Till then 
the Christians had followed in this respect the custom esta- 
blished in their several countries. The most part, however, 
reckoned from the foundation of E-ome, or the succession of 
consuls or that of emperors. 

635. But iu the sixth centvuy the Christian era of Dionysius was generally 
adopted. It begins the 25th of March, the day of our Saviour's incarnation, and tliis 
is the epoch whence all the dates of briefs issued from the court of Kome are sup- 
posed to derive. The ordinary custom, however, is to date the beginning of the 
year from the 1st of January. Thus the era of Dionysius begins nine months before 
the era ordinary among Christians. 

636. Why is this era called the " Dionysianf 

Because introduced by Dionysius in the 6th century, in 
order to determine the date of Easter, 

637. The commencement of this computation is called the Dionysian period, and 
also the Victorian period, from Victor of Aquitain, who revised it. The opinion 
most generally followed places the birth of our Savioiir under the year 4000 from 
the creation of the world. But there are good reasons for supposing it to have 
occurred somewhat earUer. According to the conmion system, the beginning of 
our era answers to the seven hundred and seventy-sixth year of the Olympiads, 
the seven hundred and fifty-second from the foundation of Rome, and to the seven 
hundred and forty-seventh of the era of 

Ifabonassar, King of Babylon; this last is 
famous among the astronomers, on account 
of the great use which Ptolemy, among 
others, made of it. It commenced the 
26th of Pebmary. But if we would com- 
pare it with the Christian era, we must 
remember that its years consisted only of 
three hundred and sixty-five days. 



638. IVJiy is the head of our 
Saviour, rchen exhibited in paint- 
ings and sculptures, ivith a 
''glory" or circle of rays? 

Because thus the universal 
mind of Christianity endeavours 
to express its conviction that He 
is the light of the spiritual world, 
in the same way that the sun is the central light of the lower 
creation. 




148 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 



Emblematical Eepresentatious. 



639. Jesus Christ has been frequently represented under the form of a lamb :* 
but He is besides frequently drawn under that of the Gocd Shepherd, who guards 
the lambs. Jesus, as a lamb, yielded up His 
life without a murmur, and He also, lUce a 
shepherd, filled with solicitude for His flock, 
came to seek lost man, and to lead him 
back to the bosom of his God. Jesus, as 
He has Himself said, is the Good Shepherd, 
who seeks and bears upon his shoulders 
the wandering sheep, the unfaithful soul, 
and brings it back to the fold. The painted 
monuments in the Eoman catacombs (from one 
of which the annexed cut is taken) constantly 
present the figure of a shepherd, some- 
times youthful and beardless, clad in a 
short tunic, striped with two longitudinal 
bands; he is standing, and bears upon his 
shoulders the shee]) that had been lost, and 
that he had loved. In the design it wdU be 
seen that the shepherd has in his right hand a 
pan-pipe, whilst, with the left, he holds the 
sheep securely on his shoulders. Any illus- 
trations taken from the catacombs should have 
for Christians a most intense interest, seeing 
that it was here, in the holes and caves of the 
earth, that the fo lowers of their crucified Lord, 
during the H^st f ightful persecutions under 




JESUS CHKIiT, THE GOOn 
SHEPHEKD. 



the Roman Emperors, were alone enabled to hold their re igious meetings. 



640. W7/^ is the Tri- 
angle surrounded with glory 



of the 



used as an emhlem 
Holy Trinity? 

Because that fit^ure being 
one, yet three-fold — each 
side or face equal to the 
other — is an apt representa- 
tion, as far as any created 
thing can be, of the triune 
nature of God, as expressed 
in the sacred Scriptures, 
and defined in the Apostles' 
and Athanasian Creeds. 




See <he heading to Chapter VITT. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 149 



B.C. 1.— The Gospel History. 



641. "The triangle is the linear emblem of God and the Holy Trinity. The 
name of God, or JehoTah, is inscribed in Hebrew letters within the triangle, 
and both the name and the figure are placed in the centre of a radiating circle, 
symbolic of eternity. God the Father, or Jehovah, here occupies the field of the 
triangle, or the Trinity, which is itself contained within the circle of eternity." — 
Didron's Christian Iconograpliy . 



CHAPTEE IX. 



OF THE FOUE GOSPELS. 

642. TTJiy was Zacharias tJie joriest and the father of John 
the Baptist struck dumb ? (Luke i) 

Because of his incredulity wlien it was announced to liim 
by an angel that he should have a son by his wife Elizabeth, 
who should be the precursor of the Messiah. 

643. Zacharias, while engaged in burning incense, was visited by the ange 
Gabriel, who informed him that, in comphance 'vvith his prayers, his wife should 
bear a son, whose name he should call John. Although he had prayed for this bless- 
ing, he seems to have been doubtful of its fulfilment, even after the appearance and 
assurance of the angel. Accordingly, he asks for some sign or token that this shall 
surely come to pass. A token is given him. He shall be dumb — ^his tongue shall be 
sealed tiU the prediction is fulfilled by the event. 

It was customary with the Jews, when they heard that any wonderful event 
was to take place, to inquire whether the Almighty had manifested his wiR by any 
supernatural sign. 

Zacharias appears to have been made both deaf and dumb, for when the child 
had to be named, and the wish of its father had to be ascertained, it was necessary to 
communicate with him by means of writing tablets. 

644. Why is it said of Zacharias that his lot ivas to hum 
incense when he went into the temple of the Lord? (Luke i. 9.) 

Because the priests drew lots for the different functions 
to be performed in the same week ; and now it fell to the 
lot of Zacharias to burn or offer up incense, morning and 
evening, in that part of the temple called the Holy, where 
was the altar of incense. 



150 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

B.C. 1.— Bivth of St. John the Baptist. 

645. IVhy is it 7'emarTced that ^^ the onuUitude were pray- 
ing loithout " at the time of incense ? 

lu order to show that the angel who appeared to Zacha- 
rias was sent to him alone, and could not be seen by the 
people. 

646. Wliy ivas an angel sent to announce the hirth of John 
the Baptist ? 

Because of the high dignity to which, as the precursor of 
Jesus Christ, he had been called. 

647. Angels had visited the patriarchs of the old covenant, and John, as the last 
of the prophets, was thus appropriately distinguished. 

648. Why was the son of Zacharias to he called John ? 
No particular reason is stated in the Scriptures, but the 

meaning of the word being " grace," or " favour," we may 
infer that it was significant of the forerunner of Him who is 
the source of all grace and blessing to man. 

649. As now in baptism, names were given in circumcision. Great importance 
was attached to the name of a child ; it indicated at least the wish of the sponsors, 
and was often a form of dedication to some particular work. The prophetical cha- 
racter annexed to most of the patriarchs enabled them to foreshadow the future 
vocation and character of the child. Hence, " He shall be named Jesus "~i,e., a 
Saviour, "for He shall save His people from their sins." 

650. Why toas the mother of Jesus, who was to be born of 
a virgin, espoused to Joseph ? 

Because, besides that an espousal did not necessitate their 
living together, it was desirable that Mary should be con- 
signed to the care of a lawful protector. 

651. Espousing or betrothing was a solemn promise of marriage made by two 
persons each to the other at such a distance of time as they agreed upon. After such 
espousal was made (which was generally when the parties were young) the woman 
continued with her parents several months — sometimes years — before she was 
brought home to the house of her husband. 

652. W7iy was the blessed Virgin Mary " troubled " at the 
angelical message announcing that she should be the mother of 
the Messiah ? (Luke i.) 

Because, as appears from the ancient commentators, she 
had devoted herself to a life of virginity, and she did not 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 15J 



A.C.* 1.— The Fobter-Father of Jesus Clirist. 

immediately appreliend how lier conditioD as a mother could 
be compatible with the maintenance of that tow. 

653. The angel saw the trouble of her mind, and to appease it informed her that 
she should conceive hj the miraculous power of God, and that her child should be 
holy, and be called "the Son of God." As a confirmation of her faith in this 
announcement, she was also told by the angel that her cousin Elizabeth, the -nife of 
Zacharias the priest, who was now far advanced in years, had conceived a son, and 
that the time was not far off when her reproach among women should cease. 

654. W/i^ is the angelical message to the blessed Vii^gin 
'Mary called the Annunciation 1 (Luke i.) 

Because, although the word in a general sense expressed the 
communication of important intelligence by chosen messengers 
from heaven, it became at a very early period of Chris- 
tianity restricted to the announcement of the miraculous con- 
ception of our Saviour, on account of the overwhelming 
importance of that message above all others, whether of the 
old or the new dispensation. 

655. So highly was the fact regarded in the early ages that a festival, or day 
specially set apart for the consideration and honour of the Anminciation, wag 
appointed for it as early as the 7th century ; but sermons of St. Athanasias 
are spoken of which, being of an earher date, prove its observance long before. 
The 25th of jMarch, or Lady Day, is that observed in reference to the event. 

656. Wlio was St. Josejah, the foster-father of Jesus Christ? 
He was "a just man," a Jew of the house and family of 

David, and by trade a carpenter. 

657. Why was his occujJation of carj)enter no disgrace to 
St. Josejph ? 

Because among the ancient Jews all handicrafts were held 
in so much honour that they were learned and pursued by 
the first men of the nation. 

658. Wliy have several attemjpts been made by old 
commentators to prove that Joseph and our Lord were not 
carpenters but goldsmiths ? 

Because of the erroneous impression that the latter calling 

* A.C., After Christ.— This form of abbreviation has been adopted in preference 
to the Latin A.D. or Anno Domini. 



152 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

A.C. 1. — Was St. Joseph a Carpenter? 

was more lionourable than tlie former, and because the words 
of the original MS. are capable of that construction. 

659. Why is it most reasonable to conclude that St. Josejph 
toas a carpenter, and not anything else ? 

Because the overwhelming evidence of tradition goes to 
prove it. 

660. Schleusner asserts that the universal testimony of the ancient Church 
represents our Lord as being a carpenter's son. Justia Martyr says that our 
Lord, in conjunction with his foster-father, made yokes and ploughs. Only those 
ignorant of ancient usages could find fault with this arrangement of Providence. 
Juhan the Apostate affected to laugh at the menial position of Jesus Christ ; and 
it is recorded of Libanius, one of that emperor's officers, that he demanded jest- 
ingly of a hermit what the Carpenter' s SoA was at that moment doing. The hermit 
rephed, dryly, " He is engaged upon a coffin for Julian." The emperor died very 
shortly after this, while engaged in an Eastern battle. 

661. W7iy has the name of Elizabeth, the mother of the 
JBo^ptist, a significant character? 

Because its equivalent, Elisheba, was the name of the 
wife of Aaron,' the head of the priesthood, and, hence, was 
a link between the sacerdotal orders of the Old and New 
Testaments. 

662. Wliy did the mother of Jesus visit her cousin, St. 
Elizabeth ? 

Because, understanding from the angel that the latter had 
conceived, she was desirous of seeing and congratulating her. 

663. TVhy did the child of Elizabeth, as yet unborn, " leap'' 
at the approach of the mother of Jesus ? 

Because, being presanctified and miraculously informed of 
the presence of his future Saviour, he took that mode of 
showing his joy. 

66-I1. Mary remained with EHzabeth about three months, till the Baptist was 
born and circumcised, and then returned to her own house at Il^azareth. 

665. Why was Joseph at first troubled at the maternal 
appearance of Mary ? 

Because, previous to the angel's warning visit, he was 
ignorant of the miraculous conception of Jesus. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOJJT WHY. 



153 



.C. 1. — The Angels and tlie Shepherds. 




ATTGITSTI 



666. Wliy were Mary and Joseph ohliged to remove from 
Nazareth to Bethlehem ? 

Because of an edict which went forth from Augustus 

C«sar, ordering a complete 
census of the Eoman empire 
to be taken, and which forced 
them to go to their native 
city to be enrolled. 

637. After many long and violent 
struggles for superiority amongst the 
Eoma,n chiefs, the whole world was 
then in peace, under the command of 
Augustus Caesar. A census being or- 
dered to be taken, Mary and Joseph 
being of the house and family ofDavidj 
must needs present themselves before 
the appointed officers at their own 
town. A long journey in December, 
when short days and the vrintry season incommoded the most sturdy traveller, 
was necessarily attended with great inconvenience to a delicate woman in 
Mary's condition ; but in the emperor's edict she adored the hand of G-od, 
and respectfully submitted to his divine pleasure. 

668. Wfiy were Mary ami Joseph forced to lodge in a stable 
at JBethlehem ? 

Because, being come to that city, they found, from the 
great concourse of visitors, that all the inns and private lodg- 
ings were full. 

669. In vain did Joseph anxiously seek through Bethlehem for a shelter in 
some degree adequate to the dignity of his espoused wife and the necessities of 
her situation. They were forced to be content with a shed, beneath which they 
screened themselves against the inclemency of the night. This was the place and 
these were the circumstances in which our divine Kedeemer chose to appear. 
AVhen the night had finished half its course, and the whole creation lay hushed 
in silence, when the hour was come for the Eternal Word to he lorn in time, the 
virgin brought forth her first-born son, wrapped him iip in swaddling clothes, and 
laid him in the manger. 

* 

670. Why was the first public notif cation of the birth of 
Christ given to simple and humble shepherds, and 7iot to their 
sitperiors in ranJc and education among the Jeios'^ 

Because the yery character of the new dispensation — the 

8* 



154 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY, 



A.C. 1. — The Angels and the Shepherds. 

gospel which was to be preached to the poor — demanded this 
preference. 

671. Why did the motJier of Jesus go tvith St. JosepJi from 
Nazareth to Bethlehem? 

Because it was the custom among the Jews to be num- 
bered according to their tribes and families. Being of the 
house and family of David, they were obliged to present 
themselves at Bethlehem, " the city of David," where the ap- 
pointed registrar was sitting. 

672. This journey was a painful one on several accounts for Joseph and 
Mary : the deHcate condition of the latter — the poverty of their equipage, which 
had to be exposed to the gaze of the more wealthy members of the kingly family 
— the inclemency of the season, it being the depth of winter — all concurred to 
exercise their faith and patience. But thus the ways of Providence were brought 
about, and the prophecies fuMUed. 

673. Why loas the name Uphratah affixed to that of 
Bethlehem ? 

Because that was the ancient name of the town. It signi- 
fied "fruitful." When the word Bethlehem came into use 
the latter term was joined to it. 

674. Wliy was Jesus Christ laid in a manger ? 

Because it had been so prophesied, and it was the pur- 
pose of his heavenly father to exhibit the Saviour of mankind 
in the humblest possible position. 

675. On the eastern side of the to'svn of Bethlehem there was a cave cut in 
the side of a rock, in which was a manger, used by the people of those environs, 
so that the shepherds easily understood the angel who told them they should find 
him laid in a manger. It is the common tradition that an ox and an ass were in 
the joint occupancy of the stable at the time of the shepherds' visit. 

In the neighbourhood of Bethlehem shepherds were standing continually upon 
the watch to guard their flocks from wild animals, and from robbers. These 
shepherds were not owners, but merely poor hired servants, who earned a scanty 
subsistence by their labour. 

^ 676. Why did the angelic messenger address the shepherds 
with the toords " Fear not " ? 

Because the unusual spectacle, as it is described by tlie 
evangelist Luke (ii. 10), accompanied as it was with a 
great light, must necessarily have appalled them. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 155 

A.C. 1. — Adoration of the " ilagi." 

677. The great light surrounding the angel symbolized the glory of the New 
Testament doctrines, and was a literal fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah is.. 2 : 
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light." 

678. W7i^ is Anna the prophetess so called, seeing that the 
race of the prophets had ceased for several hundred years ? 

She was so called OTifc of reverence for her character and 
virtues, having lived in the temple probably for half a century, 
serving God with fastings and prayers night and day. 

679. Why tvas Chrisfs second manifestation to the 
Gentiles — or " the Magi" — and not to the Jeics ? 

Because the latter had, by their leaders, universally apos- 
tatized from a spiritual worship, and this rebuke was sent 
for their punishment. 

680. At the period of Christ's advent, Judea was in the lowest imaginable state 
of oppression and abjection; for four hundred years the voices of their prophets 
and priests had been silent, the voice of the Maccabees only breaking the silence 
in words of hope and consolation. Bat even the language of these men, inferior 
as it was to their inspired forefathers, was not the language of the people. The 
priests, who still retained some power, were but a poor, worthless race; mean- 
spirited, ungenerous, envious, cruel, and oppressive. I^ot a word could be said in 
praise of any of those who discharged pubUc functions. A few, indeed, prayed in 
secret, and hoped for some great blessing to spring like light from a morning 
which is overclouded; but the representatives of the Hebrew polity were sunk 
in lethargic listlessuess, Hke a patient in that comatose state which precedes 
dissolution. 

681. WJiy did the angels sing "peace on earth, good tcill 
to men " .? 

Because it was a leading characteristic of the gospel to 
bring peace, whereas the preceding covenant had been of a 
very different tendency. 

682. W7iy did our Saviour submit himself to the onte of 
circumcision ? 

1. Because, as a descendant of Abraham, he was bound by 
the law until its supercession. 2. Because he would give his 
followers an example of obedience to ordinances. 

683. Wliy did our Saviour receive the name of Jesus ? 
Because he was to be the saviour of the world, the name 

signifying a saviour. 



156 THE BIBLICAL EEaSON WHY 



A.C. 1.— The Star in the East. 



684. Why is our Saviour called Jesus Christ ? 

Because he is thus pointed out as the anointed one, the 
great deHverer, king, priest, and prophet, who was to come 
and to fulfil all righteousness. 

685. When we say that Jesus is the Christ, we, in effect, say, *' Tliis is He of 
whom Moses, in the law, and the prophets wrote ; the seed of the woman who 
was to bruise the head of the serpent ; the seed of Abraham in whom all the nations 
of the earth were to be blessed; the great prophet to be raised up like unto Moses, 
whom all were to hear and obey; the priest, after the order of Melchizedek ; the 
rod out of the stem of Jesse, which should stand for an ensign of the people, to 
which the Gentiles should seek; the Virgin's son, whose name should be called 
Immanuel ; the branch of Jehovah ; the angel of the covenant ; the Lord of the 
temple, etc., etc., whose appropriate appellations should be 'Wonderful, Coun- 
sellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.' " (Isaiah ix. 6.) 
All this is implied in saying that Jesus is the Christ. In the plainer language of 
the New Testament, Jesus Christ means " God manifest in the flesh." 
(1 Timothy iii. 16.) 

686. Why did the Magi, or wise men from the east, come 
to adore the infant Saviour ? 

Because, while devoutly looking forward to the advent of 
the Messiah, they were miraculously advertised of his birth 
by the appearance of a star. 

687. How this star was a means of conveying to them the necessary information 
we know not. The wise men declare to the Jewish leaders, " we have seen his star 
in the east, and have come to adore him ;" but they do not explain further. They 
knew it to be his star, either hy some prophecy or by Divine revelation. That they 
were kings is the prevalent opinion. Prophecy had said that such should come from 
afar to visit the infant Saviour. Being eager to find this new-born king they 
follow the star. At Jerusalem the star disappears, and they make inquiries of the 
priests. These inform them that the Messiah should be born at Bethlehem—" And 
thou, Bethlehem-Ephratah," etc. Accordingly they direct their steps thither, and 
immediately the star reappears, leading them forward, until it finally rests over the 
spot where the object of their wishes and journeyings was reposing. 

688. TVhy, although our Saviour loas horn in a stahle and 
laid in a manger, are the Magi, or loise men^ represented 
(Matt. ii. 11) as "entering the house to adore" him? 

Because, after the birth had taken place the holy family 
were enabled to obtain a more suitable dwelling, in consequence 
of the multitude of visitors to Bethlehem (on account of the 
enrollment) having, for the most part, returned to their homesi 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 157 



A.C. 1.— Herod's Cruelty. 

689. Why did the Magi offer to Jesus Christ ''gold, 
frankincense, and myrrh" ? 

Because, in the figurative style of the eastern nations, they 
thereby typified (by Divine illumination) his three-fold character 
as king (by the gold), Grod (by the incense), and man (by the 
myrrh). The latter being the chief material used in embalming. 

690. Why zvas Herod troubled when he Icneio that the Magi 
were seeJcing for a new-horn Tcing ? 

Because, while their Jewish people and the Sanhedrim 
looked for the coming of an earthly deliverer, he, as the king 
de facto of Judea, dreaded the rising of a power inimical to 
his own, and probably subversive of it. 

691. The conduct of the Jewish doctors on that important occasion was most 
unaccountable. They told Herod, when he inquired of them, that Bethlehem wa3 
the place where he might find the infant. They cited him the very passage out 
of the prophet, but maliciously suppressed the latter part of the prophecy, which 
would have informed him that no temporal crown could be the object of Him, 
who was from the beginning and "whose coming forth was from eternity." Herod 
having thus received from the doctors the information he wanted, sent for the- 
Magi. He told them to test the information received, and to bring him word back. 
But being warned of God in a dream, they, after their visit to the heavenly crib, 
departed to their own land by another road. 

692. Why did Herod give orders for tJie slaughter of the 
innocents of Bethlehem ? 

Because he considered himself mocked by the wise men, 
and sought, by a general massacre, to destroy the infant 
Saviour. 

693. The Scripture (Matt. ii. 16) says, "Then Herod, when he saw that he 
was mocked of the wise men was exceeding wroth, and sent forth and slew all the 
children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old 
and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise 
men." 

694. Why did the mother of Jesus, loho remained a jpure 
virgin, present herself at the temple for the purposes of 
'' puy^ification" ? (Luke ii.) 

Because, as her Divine Son had submitted to the Mosaical 
law of circumcision, she would be equally subject to the law 
of purification. 



158 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY, 



A.C. 1. — Meaning of "Nunc Dimitis.' 

695. Slie knew, indeed, that tlie law could not afi'eet her, but she also knew tha 
the public was not then acquainted with her singular privileges. Upcn the same 
occasion Mary had to present her Son in the temple, and to redeem Him from its 
service by means of a ransom, which in her circumstances was the offering of two 
doves. This was in memory of what happened to the first-born in Egypt, when the 
Israelites were dehvered from thence. The Levitical law ordained that every first- 
born son should be consecrated to the Lord, or redeemed by a stated price, viz., 
for the rich a lamb, for the poor a pair of turtle-doves. 

696. Why is it usual to how or bend the head at the 
mention of the name of Jesus ? 

Because of the universally received interpretation of a 
passage in Philippians ii. 10, "At the name of Jesus every 
knee shall bow, of things in heaven, of things in earth, and 
of things under the earth." 

697. A mark of the universal reverence with which this name is received among 
Christians, and, indeed, throughout the whole civilized world, is obsei'vable in the 
fact that since the birth of our Saviour it has been vdthdrawn from common use. 
Previous to that event no name was of more prevalent use among Jews and other 
oriental nations. At the time of our Lord's nativity, the name of Jesus was, 
perhaps, the commonest appellation in Palestine. Hence the second name, "Jesus 
of Nazareth," " Jesus who is called Christ," for distinction sake. 

698. What zvas the occasion of the Song of Simeon, or what 
is Jcnown as the anthem, " Nunc Dimittis'^ ? 

It was as follows : — There lived at that time in Jerusalem 
a pious man, named Simeon, who waited for "the Consolation 
of Israel," that is, the Messiah; and it had been revealed to 
him that, ere he left the world, his eyes should be gladdened 
with a sight of Him. 

699. By a secret inspiration he came into the temple, at the very moment that 
Jesus was brought thither by his parents. Filled with faith and joy, he approached 
the holy family, and took the infant up in his arms, at the same time giving 
utterance to the beautiful canticle, " Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in 
peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." 

700. .Why is the aged Simeon described as tvaiting for 
''the Consolation of IsraeV 1 

Because the Jews were accustomed to style the expected 
Messiah the Consolation. 

701. "■May I never see the Consolation" was, and is, a common mode of 
swearing among them. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 159 



A.C. 1.— The Flight into Egypt. 

702. Why did the holy family fly into Egypt ? 

Because of the anger of Herod, and in order to escape 
its consequences. 

703. An angel in the night informed Joseph of the murderous design that this 
wretched king had upon the hfe of Jesus ; accordingly, without hesitation, he arises, 
saddles the humble beast which affords to the holy family their only means of 
transit, and departs. Nor was their journey a mere change of residence from one 
friendly country to another ; they were ordered to go to Egypt, an idolatrous land, 
and one that was the least friendly to the Hebrew people. There, amid strangers, 
and surrounded by all the concomitants of poverty, did the Saviour of the world 
condescend to pass the first years of his earthly life. 

704. IVhy is the name of Serod applied in the Neiu 
Testament to dAfferent persons, toithout the distinguishing 
marks, First, Second, Third (I., II., III.).? 

Because it was the common name of the Herodian family, 
each male member of which was called by it, in the same 
way as Pharaoh was the common name for a dynasty of 
kings in Egypt. 

705. The Herods who ruled during the events narrated in the Gospels were the 
four following : — Herod, called "the great," and his three sons, Archelaus, Philip, 
and Antipas. Herod the Great, who was also called Herod the Idumean, was sole 
ruler of Judea under the Eomans. To his sons he left the kiagdom, thus divided : — 
Archelaus ruled Judea, Idumea, and Samaria; Philip, Balanea, Trachonitis, etc.; 
Antipas, Galilee and Perea. 

706. Why did Herod, for so comparatively small an 
ohject as the removal of one infant, commit such a toholesale 
slaughter as the murder of the innocents of JBethlehem ? 

It was his usual mode of proceeding under such cir- 
cumstances. History informs us that, to attain his end, he 
never hesitated to imbrue his hands in blood, even in that of 
his nearest relatives. 

707. The following bloody deeds wUl show that the slaying of the infants was in 
perfect accordance with the character of Herod; the account is taken from 
Josephus, as arranged by Dr. Lardner : — Aristobidus, brother of his wife Mariamne, 
was murdered by his direction a.t eighteen years of age, because the people of 
Jerusalem had shown some affection for his person. In the seventh year of his 
reign he put to death Hyrcanus, grandfather of Mariamne, then eighty years of 
age, and who had formerly saved Herod's life, a man who had, in every revolution 
of fortune, shown a mild and peaceable disposition. His wife Mariamne, described 
by all as amiable and beautiful, had a public execution, and her mother Alexandra 



160 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 3.— Miserable Death of Herod. 



soon followed lier. Alexander and Aristobulus, his two sons by Mariamne, were 
strangled in prison by his orders, upon groundless suspicions, when they were at 
man's estate, were married, and had children. In his last sickness, a little 
before he died, he sent orders throughout Judea requiring the presence of all the 
chief men of the nation at Jericho. His orders were obeyed, for they were enforced 
with no less a penalty than that of death. Arrived at Jericho, he had them all shut 
up in the circus, and calling for his sister Salome and her husband Alexis, he said 
to them, " My life is now short ; I know the Jewish people, and that nothing will 
please them better than my death. You have them now in your custody : as soon 
as the breath is out of my body, and before my decease can be known, do you let 
in the soldiers upon them, and kill them. All Judea, then, and every family, will, 
though unwillingly, mourn at my death." Nay, Josephus says that, with tears in 
his eyes, he conjured them, by their love to him, not to fail in doing him this honour. 
What wonder, then, after this account, at his murdering wholesale the infants of 
Bethlehem ? Surely there could be no cruelty, barbarity, or horrid deed which 
such a man was not capable of perpetrating. 

708. What loas the cause of Herod's death ? 

He suffered from a most dreadful disease, a kind of con- 
tinued inflammation of tlie bowels, -whicli terminated in a 
slow mortification. 

709. According to Josephus, a devouring fire seemed to rage within him, and his 
pains were unutterable, whilst his inner party underwent a constant dying and 
corruption. His person became loathsome to all who approached him, and he was 
consumed by a fierce hunger which nothing could appease. This kind of malady 
was regarded by the Jewish people as a chastisement specially reserved by God 
for . the punishment of unrighteous and tyrannous kings, and as such was 
infiieted upon Herod. 

710. Why did the Soly Family return to Nazareth instead 
of Bethlehem ? 

Because, although informed by an angelical messenger of 
the death of Herod, Ihey knew that his son Archelaus reigned 
in his stead, and they feared that some danger still existed 
should they reside in Judea. 

711. That the mother and foster-father of Jesus were following thus the Divine 
direction is evident from the allusion made to this sojourn in ISTazareth by the 
evangelist (Matt. ii. 23), who makes it a fulfilment of the prophecy, "He shall be 
called a Nazarene." 

712. Why was Jesus Christ, tuho did not, like the JBaptist, 
follow the observances of that order, called a Nazarene ? 

Because by that term was frequently meant nothing more 
than a person of no estate — one of no account — a mean 
individual. 



THE BIBLTCAL EEASON WHY. 161 



A.C. 12. — Jesus lost by his parents. 

713. Why luas ArcJielaus deposed? 

Because liis tyrannous character and conduct rendered him 
hateful to the Jews ; they made some very strong and united 
complaints to the Emperor Augustus, who, finding their re- 
monstrances to be just, banished him (A.C. 7.) to Yienne in 
Gaul. 

714. Why did the Jeios acquiesce iii the change ivhich, lohile 
it constituted Judea a JRoman province, tooJc away the last 
shadow of indejpendence from the nation ? 

1. Because, although hating the E-oman yoke equally with 
that of any other alien power, they preferred it to that of 
Archelaus or any member of the Herodian family. 2. They 
unwittingly thereby carried out the views of Providence 
in the fulfilment of prophecy. 

715. See Gen. xlix. 10 — "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law- 
giver from between his feet until SMloJi come." The Messiah, or Shiloh, had now 
como, and the prophecy had to be, to the merest "jot and tittle," verified. 

716. Sow did it happen that Jesus ^oas lost hy his parents 
when, at tivelve years of age, he went up toith them to the 
passover at Jerusalem f 

It might have happened thus : In these journeys the men 
formed a separate company to the women, and the children who 
had attained the legal age, and accompanied their elders, went 
indifferently with either company. Thus, Jesus would be occa- 
sionally found with Joseph, and occasionally with Mary. And 
he might easily have been left behind without exciting appre- 
hension, each company presuming that he was with the other. 

717. Jesus was found in the court of the temple, because, not being a Levite, he 
could not enter into the temple itself. His disputation with the doctors was sucb as 
became a child. There is no reason to suppose that he listened, or asked questions 
in any but the most respectful manner. 

Another reason why Jesus should have been missed by his loving mother and 
foster-father was, that at such a time the city of Jerusalem was immensely crowded. 
It was then the city not of the tribe of Judah, but of the whole people of Jewry. 
Every street and square, every house, and even the courts of the houses were filled 
with visitors. The utmost hospitality prevailed, one family or party eating, dwelling, 
sleeping, with another, and a kind of community of goods for the time prevailing. 
As those who came from a distance had no need to bring with them any provision 



162 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 12— 30.— Tie Eetirement of Nazareth. 



for the journey, so in departing there was nothing to collect and pact up. Hence 
Jesus was not so anxiously looked for by his parents, as ordinarily he would have 
been. 

718. Why tvas Jesus Christ accompanied to Jerusalem by 
his mother, seeing that hy the law ivomen loere not required 
to make the journey ? 

Because, although the letter of the law did not requh-e it, the 
custom was for a child, when making his j&rst visit to Jeru- 
salem, in accordance with the precept, to be accompanied by 
his mother. 

719. This visit formed an era in the life of a Jewish youth. The son then 
assumed one of the responsible obhgations of manhood. It was a period answerable, 
in some respects, to that of confirmation among Christian children of the Protestant 
Episcopal, and Lutheran Churches. It was, therefore, one of those occasions in 
which a mother would naturally take a part. 

720. Why is so little narrated of the life of Jesus during 
the thirty years that he sojourned ivith his parents at 
Nazareth ? 

Because the object of the evangelists was to give an account 
of his public life only, not of that portion which he passed 
privately. 

721. It is said that Jesus went down to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph, and 
was subject to them. The meaning of which is understood to be, that he performed 
the duty of a faithful and obedient son ; and not improbably was engaged in the 
trade of his foster-father — that of a carpenter. Every Jew was required to learn a 
trade, and, consequently, to do so was not considered derogatory even to one who 
was of the house and family of David. If industry is honourable in itself, how 
greatly is even a mechanical occupation elevated by the example of our Saviour. 

722. Why did Jesus Christ, foreseeing the reproach that 
would attach to the name of Nazarene, choose to reside in 
that totvn for nearly thirty years of his earthly life ? 

Because it was his purpose to lay the foundations of his 
Church in humility, and out of the weak things of this world 
to confound the strong. 

723. The whole purpose of the New Testament morality, as regards this life, 
was to exalt the consideration of poverty and a mean station. In order to this, 
Jesus chooses to bo born of poor parents, in a poor mean stable ; to dwell for many 
years in a miserable town ; to elect his first followers from the middle and lower 
ranks of society ; to set up the simplicity of childhood as the highest model for 
imitation ; and, to consummate all his teaching, by dying the most ignominous 
death which he could suffer. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 163 

A.C. 12— 30.— St. John the Baptist. 

724. Why was St. John the JBaptist from his childhood in 
the desert?* (Luke i. 80.) 

The reason why he secluded himself thus early has been 
believed to be, that he feared the cruelty of Herod. 

725. For though he was not under his jurisdiction, not being on the confines 
of Bethlehem, yet on account of the remarkable events that took place at his 
birth, by which he was declared the forerunner of the Messiah, he had reason to 
dread the cruelty of the jealous and suspicious king. It is said that when he was 
yet in his mother's arms St. John was conveyed into the desert, and there concealed 
in the caves and fissures of the rocks, where people usually concealed themselves 
on the approach of their enemies. His mother, St. Ehzabeth, died very soon 
after this flight, and the infant Baptist was nursed by some member of Zacharias' 
family. 

726. Why loas John the Baptist reared as a Nazarite? 
Because that was the strictest order among the Jews, 

enabling the recipient of its obligations to live a more retired 
life, and one consequently less liable to distractions ; and so 
was a means of preparing him as a minister destined to preach 
repentance to the Jews. 

727. The parents of the Baptist were not only of the priestly order, but 
righteous and devout. That Zacharias was fully aware of the high mission of his 
son is evident from the "divine song" to which he gives utterance, and in which 
occurs the plirase, "And thou child shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; 
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways." As a con- 
sequence of the lofty influences under which he was nurtured, the cluld waxed 
strong in spirit, and "he was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel " 
(Luke i. 80). 

728. Why is John the Baptist represented as eating 
" locusts and toild honey " ? 

In order to show that his ordinary manner of living was 
consistent with his appearance and attire — that he lived like 
the poorest of the people, the inhabitants of the deserts and 
the other less frequented parts of Judea. 

729. The inmates of some of the oriental monasteries are said to subsist upon 
locusts four months out of the year. In Bushire they are used by the lowest 
peasantry for food. The Arabs feed on them to this day, and prepare them for 



* "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till 
the day of his showing unto Israel " — i. e., tiU he was thirty years of age. 



164 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 30. — The Baptist's first ministration. 



use in the following manner : — They grind them to flour in their hand-mills, or 
powder them in stone mortars. This flour they mix with water to the consistency 
of dough, and make thin cakes of it, which they bake like other bread on a heated 
girdle ; and this serves instead of bread to support life, for want of something 
better. At other times they boil them in water, and afterwards stew them with 
butter, and make a sort of fricassee, which has no bad taste. 

730. Wliy was JoJin tlie Baptist dressed in a raiment of 
cameV s-liaiv , etc. ? 

Because lie 3iad to exhibit in his person and manner the 
characteristics of the ancient Hebrew prophets, many of whom 
were thus arrayed. 

731. In the fifteenth year of the Emperor Tiberius, John made his public 
appearance. The word of prophecy had been still for centuries, but once more 
the echoes of Judea resounded with the "voice of one that cried in the wilderness." 
Besides his austere appearance, his manner of life was suggestive of his office; he 
ate only what the desert spontaneously afibrded — locusts and wild honey from 
the rock. 

732. Why did both our Lord and St. John the Bajptist 
defer the commencement of their puhlic ministry till they were 
thirty years of age ? 

Because they thereby followed the regulation of the Jewish 
law. Although neither Christ nor his illustrious forerunner 
were properly subject to that law, they upon all occasions 
scrupulously observed its precepts. 

733. Why toas John the Baptist said to jprejpare the ivay 
of the Lord ? 

Because his mission was to familiarize the minds of the 
Jewish people, by his preaching and practice, with those evan- 
gelical maxims which were fully developed by our Saviour. 

734. Wliy did the Baptist speah of one '"mightier than 
himself^'' coming after him, instead of plainly saying that his 
successor was the Messiah ? 

The Jews were not prepared to receive his coming; he 
therefore wisely led them by degrees to the knowledge of 
what Divine Providence had designed them. 

735. He yet secretly assures them that he is the Son of God. " I have bap- 
tized you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mark i. 8)- 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOIST WHY. 



165 



A.C, 30. — Jesus at Ifazareth. 



736. Why did the Bajptist declare that he loas not worthy to 
unloose the latchet of Christ's shoes ? 

Because he thereby expressed, by a very forcible image, 
the infinitely superior dignity of our Saviour. 




EOMAlf FOOT-GEAE. 



737. Annexed are some representations of the shoes worn at the time of our 

Lord. Shoes among the Hebrews, as well as the Greeks and Komans, conmionly 

consisted of wooden or leathern soles, 

called in Greek and Latin sandals. 

They were bound to the sole of the 

foot by two ties, of which one went 

between the great and the next toe, 

and the other first round the heel, 

and then over the top of the foot, 

where it was united with the other 

" latchet." These sandals, used merely 

in walking, were put off on entering 

the tent or house, being left at the 

door or on the edge of the apart. 

ment. The unbinding of the ties and 

removal of the sandal was from old 

time the business of slaves. The 

newly-purchased slave, as a token of 

his condition, entered on his oiBce by 

taking off his master's shoes and bearing them for some space after hhn ; in con- 
sequence, the office was held to be so low that a Eabbinical saying runs thus : 
" All that a slave does for his master is a scholar to 
do for his teacher, save untying his sandals." 

738. Why was John the Bajptist declared 
to he less than the least in the kingdom of 
heaven ? (Matt. xi. 11.) 

Because, as the last of the prophets, he 
was included in the Old Testament dispen- 
sation, which was immeasurably inferior to 
that of the New, signified by the kingdom 
of heaven. 

739. Why did our Lord, after the com- 
mencement of his ministry, reside so short 
a time at Nazareth ? 

Because his countrymen were ofiended at his plain-speaking, 
as also with the poverty of his origin. 




EOMAN BOOT. 



166 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



A.C. 30. — The Temptation in the Desert. 



740. Accordingly, Jesus performed few miracles there, but resided during the 
latter years of his earthly life at Capernaum, a city which stood upon the shore 
of the sea of Galilee, in the borders of Zebulon and NaphtaU. 

741. Why was the term Nazarene one of reproach ? 
Because, as is generally supposed, of the meauiiess of the 

town of JN'azaretli and the poverty of its inhabitants, who 
were, for the most part, persons in the lowest rank of life 
and followed the humblest callings. 

74<2. Cahnet remarks that to say of a person he is a iN'azarene was equivalent 
to saying, " He is vile, despicable, and low." 

743. Wliy was our Saviour tempted hy the devil ? 
Because he wished to give his followers and disciples an 

example how they should, meet and resist temptation. 

744. Wliy, it may be asked, was Satan suffered thus to insult the Son of God ? 
"Wherefore did the Kedeemer permit his retirement to be thus disturbed by the 
mahcious suggestions of the fiend ? The answers are — 1. He gave an instance of 
his own condescension and humiliation. 2. He thereby proved his power over 
the tempter. 3. He set an example of firmness and virtue to his followers. And 4. 
He Taere affords consolation to his suffering people, by showing not only that He 
himself was tempted, but is able to succour those who are tempted. Some of the 
Fathers say, that Satan, with all his power, was ignorant of the real purpose and 
character of Jesus Christ ; that this knowledge had been concealed from liim by the 
Divine judgment ; and that his assaults in the wilderness were made in order to 
find out this secret. Mr. Maundrell, in his travels in the Holy Land, saw the place 
which was the scene of our Lord's temptation, and thus describes it : — " From this 
place (the Fountains of the Apostles) you proceed in an intricate way among hills and 
valleys interchangeably, and of a very barren aspect at present, but discovering 
signs of the labour of the husbandman in former times. After some hours' travel 

in this sort of road, you arrive at the mountainous desert A most miserable, 

dry, barren place it is, consisting of high rocky mountains, so torn and disordered, 
as if the earth had suffered some great convulsion, in which its very bowels had been 
turned outward." 

745. Why did Jesus fast forty days and forty nights? 
Because, as the Author and Introducer of the new Ian-, 

he would correspond to the examples of Moses and Elijah, 
both of whom had acted in a similar manner on their 
entrance upon their ministrations. 

746. The fast of Lent, formerly observed with great strictness by Christians, 
is derived from the forty days fast of our Saviour in the desert. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 167 

A.C. 30.— The First Miracle. 

747. iVhy did our Saviou/' change water info wine at t/cc 
marinage feast of Can a, in Galilee ? 

Because, during the entertainment, the supply of wine failed ; 
which being perceived by !Mary and mentioned to Jesus, he 
worked the miracle recorded by the evangelists ; and which 
is noticed by them as the first begbmiag of miracles performed 
by Jesus in confirmation of his mission. 

748. IVJiy was Jesus Christ called the Lamb of God? 

1. Because a lamb was the symbol of meekness. 2. Be- 
cause our Lord was, in his own person, the fulfilment of the 
symbolical paschal Lamb. 

749. With reference to the first, Isaiah had prophesied (liM-. 7), "He was 
oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth : he is brought as a 
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened 
not his mouth." Upon the second point the words of the Baptist, "Behold the 
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world," are exphcit, and admit of no 
equivocation. Hence the "Agnus Dei's," or representations of the Lamb on the 
cross — the latter surmounted with a flag as a token of victorr (page 122), are tmi- 
TersaUy tmderstood to symbolize the character and office of Jesus Christ. 

750. 7F7iy didj the Soly Ghost d.escend upon, our Saviour 
in the form of a dove ? 

Because the dove was among the Hebrews an emblem of 
purity, innocence, and gentleness. The form chosen here was 
intended to indicate the innocence, meekness, and tenderness 
of Jesus. 

751. The descent of the Holy Ghost in this manner, with the accompanying voice 
from heaven, " This is my beloved Son," were the signs of his Father's approbation, 
— and of his being set apart for the office of the Messiah. We are not to suppose 
that the gift of the Holy Ghost wrought any change in the recipient Upon the present 
occasion, but only that this wa3 an act of solemn separation for' the work which 
was to be done by Jesus — an approval of his personal fitness. The dove had always 
been an object of honour in the Holy Land. It had been chosen for idolatrous 
worship by the Canaanitish people ; but iloses, probably in order to teach these 
a lesson, had chosen the dove as an offering to Jehovah, and thus the idolaters 
saw the sacred bird continually caught, killed, and eaten by the Hebrews. In the 
choice of the dove by Xoah, when he wished to ascertain whether the waters of the 
flood had subsided, we see an evidence of the probable origin of that veneration. 
King David, in Psakn Iv. 6, makes some beautiful references to the dove ; and the 
author of Solomon's Song continually uses the dove as a t^-pe of tenderness and 
affection. 



168 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

A.C. 30. — Baptism of Jesus Ckrist. 

752. Why was St. John, the forerunner of Jesus, called the 
Sa^tist ? 

Because lie distinguislied his ministry by exhorting all to 
be baptized. 

753. Baptism, as a rite, was well Imown to tlie Jew before the appearance of 
St. Jolin, It was imposed -upon proselytes from teathenism, upon their admission 
to the Jewish Church. 

754. Why did our Saviour, toho could not have needed it, 
suffer himself to receive baptism from St. John ? 

Because, intending to establish baptism as an institution 
of the new law, he chose to give in his own person, an 
example of obedience to it. 

755. W/iy did the Baptist hesitate to administer the rite 
to Jesus ? 

Because he knew of his Divine character, although he was 
ignorant of our Saviour's motive in coming to him. 

756. The baptism of Jesus has usually been considered a striking manifestation 
of the doctrine of the Trinity, or the doctrine that there are Three Persons in the 
Divine nature. 1. There is the person of Jesus Clirist, the Son of God, baptized 
in the Jordan, elsewhere declared to be equal with God (John x. 30). 2. The 
Holy Spirit descending in a bodily form upon our Sa^dour. I'he Holy Spirit is also 
equal with the Father, or is also God (Acts v. 3, 4) . 3. The Father addressing the 
Son, and declaring that he is well pleased with Him. It is impossible to explain 
this transaction consistently in any other way than by supposing that there are 
three equal persons in the Divine nature or essence, and that each of these sustains 
important parts in the work of redeeming man. — {Barnes, on Matthew iii.) 

757. Why did 'Herod put St. John the Baptist to death ? 
Because of a request of Herodias's daughter, which he 

had sworn to grant. 

758. Herodias was daughter of Aristobulus and Berenice, and grand-daughter 
of Herod (surnamed the Great). Her first husband was her uncle Philip, by whom 
she had Salome ; but he falling into disgrace, and being obliged to live privately, 
she left him and married his brother, Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, who 
offered her a palace and a crown. As St. John the Baptist censured this doubly 
incestuous marriage, Herod ordered him to be imprisoned. This punishment did 
not satisfy Herodias, who thirsted for his blood. Accordingly, she so arranged matters 
that, when the king was celebrating bis birth-day with the principal persons of bis 
court, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased him so well 
that he swore to give her whatever she would ask. In pursuance of the plot, 
she asked thp head of the Ba'jtist — to be servcfl up on a platter. The kinp was 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON "WHY. 169 

A.C. 30. — The INazarenes oppose Jesus Christ. 

troubled at this request, not from pity, but from superstition, supposing him to 
be some great magician, -whose spells might injure him, but, on account of his oath, 
he sent and had the Baptist beheaded in prison. (A.C. 32.) 

759. Why did the ]yeople of Nazareth, at the first preaching 
of"JesiLs, seek to destroy him hy throwing him from the emine7ice 
upon which their city was built? 

Because, in expoundinc; the law and the prophets in their 
synagogue, he displeased them by the application. 

760. The manner of the synagogue worship has been shoTvn (par. 430) . It should 
be added here, in explanation of the circumstance related in Luke iv. 16, that the 
readers -were sometimes called upon to perform their functions, and sometimes 
presented themselves voluntarily. The persons, also, who addressed the people were 
not rabbins expressly appointed for the purpose, but were either ia\-ited from those 
present, or offered themselves. 

Jesus, after his return from the desert, " came to Nazareth, where he had been 
brought up ; and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, 
and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet 
Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 
* The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath appointed me to preach the 
gospel to the poor : he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach 
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at hberty 
them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable y^ar of the Lord.' " 

761. Sy what means did so remarkable a passage occur in 
the reading of Jesus Christ on this occasion ? 

By this : that although the book to be read was selected by 
the rulers of the synagogue, the choice of any portion of the 
book remained with the reader. Hence, obviously, these 
passages were selected which referred to our Lord's immediate 
purpose and mission. 

762. Why, when Jesus closed the book and gave it again to 
the minister, were the eyes of all of them that were in the 
synagogue fastened upon him ? 

Because, by an irrepressible impulse, the supernatural 
character of Jesus must have manifested j^self in his words 
and manner. 

763. It is impossible to imagine anythiag more striking than the appearance 
which our Saviour must have presented on this occasion. His beautiful and innocent 
face and form — the awful nature of the functions he had "from the beg inn i n g" been 
elected to perform, and now was upon the eve of performing — and the consciousness 
of which must have imprinted itself upon his features, blending dignity Nvith pathos in 
his voice. Aroimd him sit the degenerate representatives of his chosen people, who 



170 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

A.C. 31. — The Woman of Samaria. 

recognize indeed the Son of Joseph the carpenter, but fail to discover the traits of 
him, "the desired of nations." At first, the evangehst says, " they wondered at the 
gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth." But soon the feehng gives place 
to hatred, when Jesus proceeds to apply the sad predictions of the prophets to them 
in their rejection of the Messiah ; their reprobation, and the ultimate call of the 
Gentiles. Nothing now will do but to thrust out of the city, and to drown in his 
own blood the voice of the unwelcome preacher. But Jesus, " passing through the 
midst of them" — that is, becoming miraculously invisible to them — "went his 
way" (Lute iv. 30) . 

The mount of Precipitation, as it is now called, is about a mile and a half distant 
from Nazareth, according to Dr. Eichardson, but two miles according to the obser- 
vations made by Mr. Buckingham. The ancient town, in aU probability, reached 
much further up the MU — ^perhaps a naile. " At this spot, on the right hand of the 
ravine, is shown," says Mr. Buckingham, " the rock to which the men of Nazareth 
are supposed to have conducted our Lord for the purpose of throwing him down. 
The rock is here perpendicular for about fifty feet, down which space it would be 
easy to hurl a person who should be unawares brought to the summit, and his 
perishing would be a very certain consequence." 

"We went," says Hasselquist, "to see the hiU from which the inhabitants of 
Nazareth were for throwing down Christ when he preached to them. This is a high, 
stony mountain, situated some gun-shots from Nazareth, consisting of the limestone 
common here, and full of fine plants. On the top, towards the south, is a steep 
rock, which is said to be the spot for which the lull is famous. It is terrible to behold, 
and fit for its purpose." 

764). WTiy did our Saviour hold his discourse with the 
woman of Samaria ? 

Because to avoid tke ferment which, ensued upon the martyr- 
dom of St. John the Baptist by Herod, he retired for a time out 
of the confines of Judea into Galilee. In his way he passed 
through Samaria, near the town of Sychar. Spent with heat and 
the fatigue of his journey, Jesus sat down by a well — kno\Mi as 
Jacob's — thus encountering the Samaritan woman, and took that 
opportunity to introduce the gospel, through her means, to 
the people of the country. 

765- He was thirsty, though his thirst seems to have been more mysterious than 
natural, and he asked her to let him drink. The woman, surprised to hear herself 
accosted by a Jew, remonstrates, and thus the beautiful homily is commenced which 
furnishes the subject of the fourth chapter of St. John's gospel. 

766. Why did the Jews " have no dealings with the 
Samaritans " ? 

Because of an ancient hatred which existed between them, 
and which dated back as far as the rebuilding of the second 
temple under Zerubbabel. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 171 



A.C. 31— 33.— Ificodeinus. 

767. It was the refusal of the Jews to allow the Samaritans to assist them in this 
work that gave rise to, or at least greatly embittered, this hatred. From that 
moment a deep enmity burned between the two races. It was the same refusal 
probably, and acts of mutual wrong ensuing, that stimulated the Samaritans not 
only to hinder the rebuilding of the temple and city, but to set up a temple of their 
own at mount Gerizim. Shechem, at its foot, became the metropohs of the Sama- 
ritans, and aiforded a refuge to discontented or lawless Jews. Josephus accuses the 
Samaritans of professing themselves Jews, and descended from Joseph, when this 
might tend to their advantage ; and of disclaiming all kindred and connection with 
them, when this would better serve their turn. Broils frequently occurred, and at 
length the temple on mount Gerizim was destroyed by John Hyrcanus, about 
129 B.C., after having stood 200 years. Under the Eoman pro-consul, Coponius, a 
Samaritan, in revenge for the iU done at Gerizim, entered Jerusalem secretly, and 
polluted the whole temple by scattering in it human bones. The name " Sama- 
ritan" now became a bye-word and a reproach with the Jews, and aU intercourse 
with that people was avoided. Hence, for a term of the bitterest reproach, they called 
Jesus " a Samaritan ;" and hence our Lord himself, w^hen he sent out the seventy 
disciples, forbade them at first to go to the cities of the Samaritans, lest their 
reception of the gospel should be a stumbling-block in the way of the Jews. 

768. Wliy did Nicodemus come to Jesus hy night ? 
Because, being a distinguished member of the Sanhedrim, he 

did not wish to compromise himself with that body by coming 
openly to speak Avith Jesus, of whose person and office he vras 
nevertheless anxious to learn something. 

769. The discourse of our Lord to Nicodemus had a great effect upon his mind, 
although he does not appear to have been emboldened to profess his sentiments 
openly. Upon a subsequent occasion, at one of the sittings of the venerable body to 
which he belonged, he had the courage to protest against the bloody sentence which 
condemned him to the cross ; and, after the crucifixion, he assisted Joseph of 
Arimathea in rendering the last honours to the body of his crucified Eedeemer. 

770. Why is our Saviour represented as seated when 
delivering his sermon on the mount 1 

Because sitting was the proper posture of masters and 
teachers. 

771. The form in which the master aud his disciples sat is thus described by 
Maimonides : — " The master sits at the head, or in the chief place, and the disciples 
before him in a circuit like a crown ; so that all see the master and hear his words. 
The master may not sit upon a seat, and the scholars upon the groimd ; but either all 
upon the earth or upon seats. Indeed, from the beginning or formerly, the master 
used to sit and the disciples to stand ; but before the destruction of the second 
temple, aU used to teach their disciples sitting. 

772. What was the nature of the place called the Receipt 



172 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 31— 33.— Precepts of the New Law. 

of Customs, at which St. 3£atthew ivas seated ichen called hy 
our Lord? 

The publicans Iiad Louses or booths built for them at the 
foot of bridges, at the mouth of rivers, and by the sea-shore, 
where they took toll of passengers that went to and fro. 
Hence we read of the tickets or seals of the publicans, which, 
when a man had paid toll on one side of the river, were given 
him by the publican to show to him that sat on the other side, 
that it might appear he had paid. On these were written two 
great letters, larger than those in common use. 

773. Why did our Saviour forbid the ^practice of siuearing 
" by thy head,'' etc. 

Because the ready recourse to oaths as a test of truth or 
a motive to integrity, argues a very low standard of morality. 
The gospel was to establish sincerity of purpose and a sense 
of justice, which should result from rectitude of heart and 
conscience. 

774. It was a very common practice among the orientals to swear by the head 
or the life of the king. Joseph, following the fashion of Egypt, swore by the life 
of Pharaoh, and the oath is still used in various regions of the East. The most 
sacred oath among the Persians is " by the head of the king." In the time of our 
Lord it was a common practice among the Jews to swear by this form, and in 
all the various ways denounced by him. 

A more serious fault which clung to the teaching of the Pharisees, and which 
was denounced in most severe terms by our Lord at a later period (Matt, xxiii. 16), 
was their equivocations in the matter of oaths. " Woe unto you, blind guides ! 
which say, whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall 
swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor." 

" This was a ver}^ paradoxical distinction, and no one who heard their oaths 
could possibly divine it unless he happened to be initiated into the whole viUany of 
the business. One would naturally entertain the very same idea concerning it wHch 
Christ expresses in his refutation of it, viz., that " the temple which consecrates the 
gold is of greater account, and belongs more immediately to God than the gold." 
But the foundation of the refined distinction made by the Pharisees was, that the 
gold was sanctified, but not the materials of the edifice. Again the Pharisees said, 
"If a man swear by the altar, it is no oath; but if he swear by the ofiering that is 
upon the altar, he is bound ;" because, forsooth, the offering was consecrated, but 
the stones of the altar nothing more than common stones. But to this doctrine 
Jesus Christ, with equal reason, makes the foUomng objection, that " the altar 
which sanctifies the offering is greater than the offering ;" and he founds it on this 
imanswerable argument — " If I appear to swear, and use the language of an oath, 
my words, though, perhaps, otherwise equivocal, must be understood in the sense 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 173 



A.C. 31 — 33. — The Money-changers expelled. 



which they generally have in oaths. Thus, if I merely mention heaven, that word 
may have various meanuigs ; it may mean heaven in the physical sense of the term — 
the blue atmosphere, or that unkno-svn matter sometimes called * ether ;' but 
neither of these is God. When, however, I swear by heaven, every one understands 
me as regarding heaven in its relation towards God as his dwelling-place or as his 
throne, and thinks that I forbear pronouncing the name of God merely from 
reverential awe, and that in naming the throne of God I include the idea of him 

who sitteth upon it ; so that I have really sworn by God A most rational 

exposition, without which we can never in any compact be sure of understanding our 
neighbour's words, not even though he name the name of God in his oath, and 
swear without any mental reservation whatsoever, for the syllables, perhaps, might 
still be susceptible of another signifigation." (Michaelis.) 

775. Why does our Saviour promise a reivard to the 
hestoiver of a cup of cold water, given to a disciple in his 
name ? 

Because by tliat figure lie intended to convey tlie regard 
he had for all acts of charity performed with a proper motive, 
and for the honour of Grod. 

776. The offering of a cup of cold water is in the East an act of great value and 
significance. In India at the present day the Hindoos go sometimes a great way to 
fetch water, and then boil it, that it may not be hurtful to travellers who are hot. 
After this they stand from morning to night in some great road, where there is 
neither weE nor rivulet, and offer it in honour of their gods, to be di'unlc by the 
passengers. Such necessary works of charity in these hot countries seem to have 
been practised by the more pious and humane Jews ; and our llord assures them 
that if they do this in his name they shall not lose their reward. 

777. Why loere the money-changers expelled hy our Lord 
from the temple ? (Matt. xxi. 12.) 

Because they were usurers, and in their eagerness for gain 
had presumed, to set up their tables within the walls of the 
temple. That their practices were corrupt is shown by the 
denunciation of our Saviour, who said, " My house is a house of 
prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves." 

778. Persons coming annually to Jerusalem to worship would frequently deposit 
money with them, to be returned to the owners upon their safe return home ; thus 
avoiding the risk of robbery by the way. Others visiting Jerusalem exchanged 
foreign coins for those current in the city, in order to pay the half-shekel tribute 
(Exod. XXX. 3), allowing the money-dealers a per centage for the accommo- 
dation. The temple being the centre and cause of all this traffic, the money- 
changers, at first content to set up their booths in its neighbourhood, by degrees 
established themseh as within the building itself. It was the tables of these traffickers 



174 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. Si— 33.— The Pool of Bethesda.— Parables. 



whieli were overturned by our Lord, upon tbe only occasion when we perceive any 
Ihing like severity in his manner. 

779. TF/io loere the sellers of doves mentioned in the same 
'passage ? 

They were persons wlio supplied the worshippers at the temple 
with doves for oflPerings — " the burnt-offering and the sin-offer- 
ing" — prescribed by the Mosaical law. (Lev. v. 7, xii. 6.) 

780. " These persons should have obtained the doves at a more suitable time and 
place. In many instances, probably in most, this was done ; but there was, as there 
will always be, a number of slack worshippers, who put oflE" tDl the last moment the 
most necessary duties, like those foolish virgins mentioned in another gospel, who 
failed to provide themselves with oil for their lamps, trusting to the chapter of 
accidents or the benevolence of their friends for the necessary supply." 
(Stackhouse.) 

781. What tvas the pool of Bethesda 1 

It is thought to have been a bath, from the fact that the 
blind, the maimed, and the withered were gathered around it ; 
and from its having five porticoes, erected, no doubt, for the 
reception of the sick and infirm. 

782. The name Bethesda, which is Greek, signifying a house of mercy, was 
probably applied to it on account of the many cures effected therein. It was 
situated on the northern side of the wall which surrounded the temple mount at 
Jerusalem. The waters do not appear to have had any medicinal efficacy apart from 
the simple one resulting from the use of ordinary water; hence the cures are 
declared to have been effected miraculously. At certain times an angel descended 
and " troubled the water," and the person who descended ffrst after this operation 
upon the water was healed of whatever infirmity he might labour under. 

783. Why did our Saviour so frequently speaJc in parables ? 
Because it was conformable to the customs of the East to 

do so, and was a very popular mode of conveying truths 
with the Jews. 

784. Herein was also another fulfilment of prophecy. David, in Psahn Ixxviii. 2, 
had said, speaking in the person of Jesus Christ, " I wiU open my mouth in a 
parable ; I wUl utter dark sayings of old." Parables or fables are found in the 
literature of all nations, and it is certain that the parables of our Saviour have 
created a deeper and more lasting impression upon the great mass of mankind than 
any other part of the New Testament, with the exception of one or two passages. 
The good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, the Ten Virgins, and Lazarus and Dives are 
known and appreciated throughout the whole Christian world. " The wisdom of our 
Lord, therefore, is manifest in adopting this mode of instruction. If a degree of 
obscuritf • attaches to it, even this is not without its uses; it is just that kind of 



THE BUBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



175 



A.C. 31— 33.— Oriental Customs 



difficulty which is demanded by human nature for its trial, exercise, and improvement. 
It serves to discover wlio love the truth and who are indifferent to it ; who are 
willing to search for it as for hidden treasure and whio are not. It is admirably 
adapted, also, to excite attention, to stimulate curiosity, to exercise the judgment, 
and, througb the medium of the imagination, to lodge truth permanently in tbe 
heart." (Watson.) 

785. Why was new luine not to he jaut into old bottles 
(Matt. ix. 17) ? 

Because the Eastern bottle, called turuntl 
raw hide of an animal; consequently, when 
any fermenting liquor is put into it, the 
skin, being comparatively green, distends 
itself to the swelling of the liquor; but 
should the bottle have been previously 
stretched by the same process, then it 
would burst if put to a second trial, because 
it cannot yield to the new pressure of 
fermentation. 

786. Why did the minstrels and 
people " make a noise'' in the ruler's house 
at the death of his daughter ? 

Because such was the universal practice 
in the East upon all occasions of mourning, 
persons being set apart especially for such 
purposes, and following the art of mourning 
as a profession. 

787. In Egypt the lower class call in women who 
play on the tabor, and whose business it is, like the hired 
mourners in other countries, to sing elegiac airs to the 
sound of that instrument, which they accompany with the most frightful distortions 
of their Hmbs. These women attend the corpse to the grave, intermixed with the 
female relatives and friends of the deceased, who commonly have their hair in the 
utmost disorder, their heads covered with dust, their faces daubed with indigo or at 
least rubbed with, mud, and bowling like maniacs. Such were the minstrels and 
people whom our Lord found in the house of the ruler. The noise and tumul of 
such retained mourners and the other attendants appear to have began immediately 
after the person expired. " The moment," says Chardin, " any one returns from a 
long journey or dies, his family burst into cries that may be beard twenty doors off; 
and this is renewed at different times, and continues many days, according to the 
vigour of the passions. Especially are these cries long and frightful in the case of 
death, for tha mourning is rig\t down despair, and an image of hell." 




EASTEEW BOTTLE. 



176 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 31— 33.— Nature of the Angels. 

788. What tvas the nature of that mustard-tree alluded to 
hy oicr Xiord, which %vas said to he " the greatest among 
herbs r (Matt. xiii. 31 ) 

The cliaracter and size of the scriptural mustard-tree will 
be understood by the annexed extract : — 

789. The parable of the mustard-tree was delivered in a public assembly, every 
individual of which was well acquainted with it. Many of them were the avowed 
enemies of our Lord, and would have gladly seized the opportunity of exposing him 
to the scorn of the multitude if he had committed any mistake. The silent 
acquiescence of the scribes and pharisees affords an irrefragable proof that his 
description is perfectly correct. They knew that the same account of the plant more 
than once occurs in the writings of their fathers. In the Babylonish Talmud, a 
Jewish rabbi writes that a certain man of Sichem had bequeathed to him by his 
father three boughs of mustard ; one of which, broken off from the rest, yielded 
nine kabs of seed, and the wood of it was sufficient to cover the potter's house. 
Another rabbi in the Jerusalem Talmud says he had a stem of mustard in his garden, 
into which he could climb as into a fig-tree. After making every allowance for the 
hyperbolical style in which these talmudical writers indulged, they certainly referred 
to real appearances in nature ; and no man will pretend that it was any part of their 
design to justify our Saviour's description. But the " birds of the air (verse 32) 
might certaiiily lodge with ease among the branches of a tree that was sufficiently 
strong to sustain the weight of a man. The fact asserted by our Lord is stated in 
the clearest terms by a Spanish historian, who says that in the province of Chili, in 
South America, the mustard grows to the size of a tree, and the birds lodge vmder 
its shade, and build their nests in its branches."— Paxton, Illustrations of the 
Holy Scriptures. 

790. WJiy are the angels — referred to in Matt, xviii. 10 — 
described as always beholding the face of God in heaven ? 

Because such a posture is indicative at once of an anxious 
wish to know, and a cordial readiness to execute, the will of 
a Lord or ruler. 

791. This is illustrated by some other passages of Scripture thus : — 1 Kings 
i. 20, "And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee that thou 
shouldst teU them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him."' 
In Psa. cxxiii. 2, " Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their 
masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait 
upon the Lord our God." Our Saviour would, accordingly, intimate that such 
was the attitude of the angels in heaven, who are ministering spirits to the heirs 
of salvation. 

792. Wliy teas our Saviour called the "Son of Man"? 

1. Because he is so caUed in the prophecy of Daniel vii- 



TEE BiBLICAL SEASON WHY. 177 



A.C. 33.— The Seventy Disciples. 

13, 14, "I saw in tlie night visions, and behold one like 
the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven T and there 
was given to him dominion and glory," etc. 2. Because he 
had a design to establish his human nature against those 
who might be disposed to regard him as a mere spirit or 
angel. 

793. It is to be remarked that our Saviour himself uses the vrords of Daniel, 
above quoted, in Matt. xxvi. 31, "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, 
and aU the holy angels -with him." 

794. Why were seventy disciples cliosen hy our Saviour ? 

In the number, as in that of the twelve apostles (in re- 
ference to the number of the tribes), he may have had regard 
to the historical associations of the Hebrews, for we find that 
when Jacob went into Egypt the souls of his family were 
seventy. 

795. The same was the number of the elders appointed by Moses. Seventy 
persons composed the Sanhedi'im, or great national council of the Jews ; and, 
according to the notions of the Hebrews of that day, the earth itself was made 
up of seventy nations. The mission of the seventy elders was of a preparatory 
nature, and what is said about it in the gospel occupies but a few hues. 

796. What was the Council of the Sanhedrim ? 

It was the highelt national tribunal or parliament held in 
Jerusalem at the time of our Lord. 

797. The Sanhedrim was modeUed upon the council of seventy elders ap- 
pointed by Moses (Numb. xi. 16), came into eidstence after the return from 
Babylon, and is first mentioned by Josephus in the reign of Herod. According 
to the Mishnah, this court was composed of seventy members besides the pre- 
sident- these were high priests, elders, and lawyers, comprising Pharisees and 
Sadducees. In addition were two secretaries. Learning was the sole quahfiea- 
tion for admission. The Sanhedrim, in urgent cases, assembled m the house .of 
the high priest, but ordinarUy sat in a separate chamber on the south side of 
the temple. The members sat in a semi-circle, with the president m the middle. 
This tribunal had been deprived of the power of Hfe and death by the Eomans. 

798. Why were the Pharisees called ''lohited sepulchres''? 

Because they concealed under a cloak of sanctity the real 
abominations of their hearts ; professing a strict regard to the 
letter of the law while they were filled with malice, covetous- 
ness, and vain glory. 



178 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Scribes. Sadueees. 



799. It was tlie custom with tlie Jews to garnisli the outsides of the tombs 
of their rela1ft>ns and friends, although those who touched the dead were con- 
sidered as polluted. In Acts xxiii. 3, St. Paul calls Ananias a whited wall, and 
threatens him, with a violent death, an expression that proved prophetical, for 
Ananias, after haviug contributed to the ruin of his country by a powerful faction 
which he had raised, and which produced various calamities, was slain after the 
revolt of the Jews (a.d. 66), with his brother, and fell not by the arms of the 
Romans, but by another faction of the Jews, which was headed by his own son. 

800. WJio were the Scribes ? 

They were (1) writers, (2) lawyers, and (3) teachers of the 
law. 

801. The names by which iu the Greek this class is designated indicate a 
learned class which may have exercised functions more or less varying from 
each other ; those variations, if they existed, can scarcely now be discovered, and 
in general the words indicate the same high officer whose business lay in the 
guardianship and exposition of the law of Moses, considered as the source of 
religious as well as civil rights and obhgations. 

802. Whi/ toere the Scrihes in general rehuTced hy our 
Lord ? 

Because, by their sophistries, they had neutralized most 
of the beneficial provisions of the Mosaical code. 

803. This code had received great additions from purely hxmian sources. Its 
literal observance was strictly required. But an all%orical method of exposition 
had gained prevalence : hence the charge of our Lord, " Ye have made the law 
of God void by your traditions." 

804. WTiy were the Sadducees generally ojpjposed to the 
preaching of the gospel ? 

Because, as semi-infidels, they had a greater repugnance 
to its precepts than even the Pharisees and the rest of the 
Jews, who still retained the spirit of the Mosaical laws. 

805. The Sadducees were a sect which had its rise (b.c. 250) from Sadoc, a 
follower of Antigonus Soehoeus, president of the Sanhedrim. The latter had 
taught, in opposition to the Scribes, that man ought to serve God out of pure 
love, and not from hope of reward or fear of punishment. But Sadoc improving 
upon this (in his estimation), maintained that there was no future state at all, 
either of reward or punishment. Whatever foundation there may be for this 
account of the origin of the sect, it is certain that in the time of our Saviour 
the Sadducees denied the resu'.rection of the dead (Acts yxii i . 8) and the exist- 
ence of angels and spirits, or souls of departed men. They carried their ideas of 
tuman freedom so far as to assert that men were absolutely masters of their own 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 179 



Pharisees. Meaning of Kabbi. 



actions, and at full liberty to do either good or evil. Josepbus even says that 
they denied the essential difference between good and evil; and though they 
beheved that God created and preserved the world, they seem to have denied his 
particular providence. These tenets, which resemble the Epicm-ean philosophy, 
led, as might be expected, to great profligacy of life ; and we find the licentious 
wickedness of the Sadducees frequently condemned in the New Testament; yet 
they professed themselves obliged to observe the Mosaic law, because of the tem- 
poral rewards and punishments annexed to such observance ; and hence they 
were always severe in their punishment of any crimes which tended to disturb 
the public tranquillity. Josephus says that the Sadducees were able to draw 
over to their party the rich only, the people not followuig them; and he else- 
where mentions that the sect spread chiefly among the young. The Sadducees 
were far less numerous than the Pharisees, but their gi-eater opulence and dignity 
gave an equivalent weight to their party. The council before which our Saviour 
and St. Paul were carried consisted partly of Pharisees and partly of Sadducees. 

806. W7io were the JPJiarisees ? 

They were a powerful sect among the Jews, whose pro- 
minent characteristic was a strict literal observance of the 
Mosaical law, joined with the vast number of additions, which 
in the process of ages had become tacked on to it. 

807. The sect appears to have had its rise during the Babylonish captivity. 
The silence of the prophets at that period, and the consequent absence of all 
positive authority in matters of the law, would naturally lead to the establish- 
ment of a school of interpreters, which, as bemg merely human, and basing all 
their philosophy upon reason, would produce results as various as the manifes- 
tations of the human mind are various. Hence the two chief sects of Pharisees 
and Sadducees. The former were the rehgious conservatives, the latter the pro- 
gressists, or rational reformers. The Pharisees would have every jot and tittle 
of the law observed. But not only this : they had a tendency to collect tradi- 
tions, which rapidly accumulating, in time became more bulky and stringent than 
the original law of Moses. And in the end we find our Saviour rebuking the sect 
by saying, "Woe unto you, Pharisees and Scribes, who make the law of none 
effect by your traditions." Their observances were, however, mere outward 
ones— of all sincere or heart worship they were totally devoid : they washed the 
outside of the eup or platter, but suffered the inside to be foul and filthy. 

808, Wliat is the meaning of the loorcl " BahU " ? 

It signifies " the great," and was used as a complimentary 
expression when addressing a superior. 

809. It was used to signify " doctor," "teacher," and very plentifully apphed 
when a speaker had any purpose to gain. In its general sense its equivalent is 
to be found in the Italian " ecceUenza." The teachers and professors of the law 
were distingmshed by the title of Eabbi, both by the people and by their own 



180 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY, 



Publicans or Tax-Collectors. 



disciples. Our Lord was so addressed \>j his disciples as well as by the people. 
Kabboni, the superlative of Eabbi, was the title of highest honour applied by the 
Jews to the teachers of the law. In its application to Christ (John xx. 16) it 
signified "Lord." 

810. W/i^ tvere the Fuhlicans such objects of diolike to 
the Jews ? 

1. Because, as tax-gatherers engaged in collecting the tri- 
bute imposed by their Eoman conquerors, they were naturally 
so. 2. Because the Publicans themselves were generally dis- 
honest and even rapacious characters. 

811. There were two kinds of pubHcans (publicani). The first were persons 
of rank or wealth, who farmed the taxes from the chief authority at Eome, fre- 
quently being Roman knights or patricians ; those, however, with whom the Jews 
most frequently came in contact were the portitores, or sub-collectors. This 
second class did not confine itself to collecting the regularly imposed taxes, but 
used such means as were within their reach to grind the faces of the people. 
Oppression and cruelty were commonly the result. The collection of taxes, in 
general an unpleasant office, becomes hateful and repulsive when tribute is levied 
for a foreign power. The odium is augmented if native hands are the collectors, 
and if the foreign yoke is galling. Hence in Judea none but persons of the 
lowest order would engage in the worS:, and hence those whom it occupied were 
hated and despised by the people ; and that the more the nearer the days of the 
Messiah were thought to approach. The common tax-gatherers therefore, were 
accounted as apostates and renegades engaged in aiding the heathen to oppress 
and pillage God's chosen people. Thus is explained the amazement excited when 
Jesus was seen eating not only with pagans, but even with pubHcans. 

812. W7i^ were the Jems particularly offended by the words 
of our Saviour (John ii. 19), ''Destroy this temple, and in 
three days I will raise it up again " ? 

Because they were sensitively alive to any disrespect — real 
or imaginary — uttered in reference to the temple at Jeru- 
salem, to which, in their usual materialism, they understood 
our Lord to refer. 

813. Of the high veneration of the Jews for this building many authors relate 
instances. Their reverence for it was such that rather than vdtness its defile- 
ment they would cheerfully submit to death. Josephus gives proof of this in his 
history of the wars of the Jews. Concluding that Jesus meant an insult to the 
sacred edifice, his words instantly descended into their hearts, and kept rankling 
there for years, until upon our Lord's trial this declaration — joined with others— 
which it was impossible for them even to forget or forgive, was alleged against; 
Jiira as an act of the most atrocious guilt and impiety. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 181 



Jewish Proselytes. 

814. Why did our Lord say, ''It is easier for a camel to 
^ass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter 
into the Jcingdom of God " ? (Matt. xix. 24.) 

Because lie wished to express by an image, which was 
very familiar to the Jews, a case of extreme diiEeulty, if not 
of impossibility. 

815. To pass a camel through a needle's eye was a proverbial expression 
among the nations of high antiquity, denoting a difficulty which neither the art 
nor the power of man can surmount. Our Lord, to make his discourse plain, 
condescended to the very language of the people. 

816. W7iy were the Jews rehiiked hy our Saviour for their 
zeal in making ^proselytes ? (Matt, xxiii, 15.) 

Because they were actuated by improper motives, as appears 
by the context, where a common result of their zeal is said 
to have been that the proselyte became two-fold more the child 
of hell than themselves. 

817. The desire of maldng proselytes is one of the commonest instincts of 
humanity. What is rebuked here is the want of a good intention; the en- 
deavour to change a man's faith or opinion not for his benefit or for the glory 
of God, but in order to flatter one's own choice of a party or following. The 
misdirected zeal of the Hebrews for proselytizing excited the notice and ridicule 
of the heathen Romans. Horace (among others) in his "Satires" (i. 4, 143), 
says, " Like Jews we will compel thee to come over to our sect." 

818. Why did our Saviour hlame them for building the 
tombs of the jprophets ? (Matt, xxiii. 29.) 

This is not blamed as if it were in itself an evil to build 
or adorn the sepulchres of the prophets ; but the hypocrisy 
of the Pharisees is here taxed, who, whilst they pretended 
to honour the memory of the prophets, were persecuting to 
death the Lord of the prophets. 

819. As indeed they had done by the prophets beforehand, scarcely one of 
whom had escaped a violent death at their hands. " Which of the prophets have 
not your fathers persecuted ? and they have slain them which showed before of 
the coming of the Just One." (Acts vii. 52.) 



182 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



Jewish Errors Eefuted. 

820. WTiy were tlw Pharisees said to devour widows^ 
houses ? 

Tliey endeavoured to persuade the widows of tKe poor to 
make vows or offerings for the temple, by which they them- 
selves became rich. 

821. Why did the disciples of Christ ash him, with refer- 
ence to the man horn blind, " Master, did this man sin or 
his parents, that he was horn hlind" ? 

Because before the coming of Christ and the promulga- 
tion of his new and merciful dispensation every misfortune 
was regarded as a proof, more or less, of the anger of God 
towards the afflicted person, and not, as was taught by Christ 
and his apostles, a means which a Christian might improve 
to his eternal benefit. ■ 

822. The voluntary sufferings of Christ and the canonization of affiiction and 
martyrdom by his example, and that of nearly all his immediate followers, 
changed this mode of thinking most completely. But they who now asked the 
questions were speaking according to the received ideas of their day, into which 
the Oriental heresy of the Metempsychosis, or the doctrine of the transmigra- 
tion of souls, had infused an element. The people of Judea, and indeed of the 
whole Eastern world at that time, very commonly attributed — as they do to this day 
— their misfortunes to the transgressions of a former state of existence. "I remem- 
ber," says Callaway, "being struck vrith the seriousness of a cripple, who attri- 
buted his lame condition to the imknown fault of a former Mfe. His conjecture 
was that he had broken the leg of a fowl — which might have formed the outer 
casement of some ancestor, who should at least have been sacred from any injury 
on his part." Offerings are still made among the Hindoos, with a view to an 
honourable or happy birth at the next transmigration, 

823. Why did Jesus Christ command the blind men \vhom 
he had miraculously restored to sight to tell no man of the 
circumstance ? (Matt. ix. 30.) 

Because, although he knew that they would fail to ob- 
serve his injunction, he wished to give to all men an example 
of humility. We are admonished not only to keep silent our- 
selves upon whatever is to our own praise but to endeavour 
to hinder others from publishing it. 

824. Wliy did our Saviour, in sending his apostles to 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 183 



Warnings against False Teachers. 

freacli " to all nations" give tJiem miraculous jpowers 1 
(Matt. X. 1.) 

Because the generality of men would never have given 
credit to their preaching, unlearned and illiterate as most of 
them were, had they not been able to work miracles in proof 
of the doctrines preached. 

825. " It was necessary that the greatness of their works should confirm the 
greatness of their promises." (St. Jerome.) 

826. Wliy did our Saviour defend his discijples from tliose 
who complained of them that they did not fast liJce the disci- 
ples of the Baptist ? (Matt. ix. 14, 15.) 

Christ, by the similitude of the cloth and bottles (" JN'o 
man putteth new wino into old bottles," etc.), justified the 
manner of life which he taught his disciples as at first best 
adapted to their faith. Had he in the beginning required 
them to practise any rigorous observances, they might have 
been discouraged and have left him. He, accordingly, takes 
occasion to say that the joy of being in the presence of " the 
bridegroom" would not admit of any austerity ; but the time for 
fasting would come when he should be taken away from them, 

827. The bottles referred to were made of skin, or were leather bottles in 
which wine used to be carried and kept. (Par. 785.) 

828. Wliy did our Saviour warn his disciples against false 
teachers who should come to them in his name ? 

Because he foresaw that hosts of pretenders to sanctity 
and true teaching would arise immediately after his death, and 
consequent upon the great success that would accompany the 
preaching of the gospel. 

829. In less than two centuries after our Lord's death many false Christs 
actually appeared, each of whom pretended to be the one that was *' to come," the 
desired of nations. One of these false Messiahs was a Jew, named Barchochebas. 
He appeared about the year a.d. 130, during the reign of the Emperor Adrian. 
The Jews, up to that time, had remained sunk, more or less, in a hopeless 
apathy. But now they seemed to hare thrown it off, and made an attempt 
towards the recovery of their city. Adrian was well informed of these thoughts, 
and appointed bmlders to reconstruct the walls of Jerusalem, intending to make 
it a fortress or citadel, by means of which he could suppress any attempt at j» 



184 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



The Apostles Instructed. 



revolution on the part of the Jews. The works had made some progress when 
the Jews, unable any longer to endure the idea that their holy city should be 
occupied by foreigners, broke out into open rebellion. They were led by the 
above-mentioned Barchoehebas, under whom, at first, they obtained some partial 
successes ; but he was crushed by the Eoman power, and a war scarcely inferior 
in horror to that under Vespasian and Titus was, like it, brought to a close by 
the capture of Jerusalem, of which the Jews had obtained possession. 

830. Why did our Saviour hid his apostles luhen they loere 
persecuted in one city to Jiee into another ? (Matt. x. 23.) 

Because he would have them avoid strife and unseemly 
contentions with tliose who were unwilling to listen to their 
doctrines. 

831. That this was his meaning the best proof may be found in the fact that 
he himself frequently set them the example of flight. He rendered himself in- 
visible when the Nazarenes would have thrown him from the hill. He fled from 
the temple and hid himself from the Sanhedrim. In the early ages of the Church 
there were found some who deemed this counsel unworthy of a Christian. Ter- 
tuUian held it as unlawful to fly from persecution. But the best proof that he 
was wrong is, that Tertullian himself fell away from the truth and relapsed into 
Montanism. 

832. Wliy loere the apostles to set forth without tioo coats, 
tvithout shoes, and without a staff? (Matt. x. 10.) 

That they might present the appearance of poverty and 
a complete disseverance from the world and its advantages. 

833. Sandals were permitted, and the 
ordinary staff used even by beggars to 
assist the body in walking, but not such 
a staff as was then used as a weapon of 
defence. The shoes then worn, as dis- 
tinguished from sandals, were costly, and 
often very elegant in their form and ma- 
terial. They were, however, confined to 
EOMAK BOOT. effeminate persons and to women. 

834. What is meant hy the "gates of hell," which should 
not prevail against the Church ? (Matt. xvi. 18.) 

Gates are a common symbol in the Scriptures for power, 
government, security. To say, then, that the gates of hell 
should not prevail against the Church was, in other words, 
to say " it shall never die, it shall never be extinct." 

835. All the errors, controversies, superstitions — aU the persecutions, edicts, tor- 
tures with which the Church has been visited, have not proved her mortal, and never 




THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 185 



The Paralytic Pardoned. 



Bhall. (Calmet.) "The k^ js of the kingdom of heaven" delivered to the» Apostle 
Peter had a meaning, which is explained by the following passages : — 1. As exer- 
cising authority — "I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder" 
(Isa. xxii. 22) . 2. As having power to interpret the Divine oracles — " Ye have taken 
away the key of knowledge " (Luke xi. 52) . Explaining the Scriptures is called 
opening them — "While He talked with us by the way and opened to us the 
Scriptures" (Luke xxiv. 32) . It is said that authority to explain the law and the 
prophets was given among the Jews by the delivery of a key ; and of one Kabbi 
Samuel we read, that after his death they put his key and his tablets into his coffin, 
because he did not deserve to have a son to whom he might leave the insignia of his 
office. If the Jews really had such a custom in our Saviour's time, they would 
readily understand the significance of the dehvery of the keys to St. Peter. 

836. Why did our Saviour, after the delivery of his charge 
to JPeter, say to the ajpostles that they should tell no man 
that he was the Christ ? 

1. To avoid the envy of the scribes, and not to appear to 
raise liis own glory. 2. He wished the people to be induced 
to own him for their Messiah, not from the testimony of his 
retainers, but from his miracles and doctrines. 3. Because, as 
his time was not yet come, the apostles were not yet fit to 
deliver, nor the people to receive, this grand tenet. 

837. Why did our Saviour pronounce a pardon of the 
sins of the paralytic whom he had healed, seeing that the sicTc 
man did not ash him to do so? (Matt. ix. 2.) 

Because he wished to declare the cause of the disease, and 
to remove it before he removed the disease itself. 

838. " The sick man begs for corporal health," says Jansen, "but Christ first 
restores to him the health of his soul ; for two reasons : first, that he might insinuate 
to the beholders that the principal intent of his coming into the world was to cure 
the evils of the soul, and to let them know that the spiritual cure ought most to be 
desired and petitioned for." A second reason why Christ forgave the sick man 
his sins was, that he might take occasion, from the murmurs of the Pharisees, to 
speak more plainly of his power and divinity, which he proved, not only by restoring 
the man instantaneously to health, but by another miracle, equally great and 
conclusive, which consisted in seeing the thoughts they had never expressed; for 
the evangehst observes that they murmured in their hearts. 

839. Why toas the paralytic, after being cured by our 
Saviour, commanded " to talce up his bed and walk ?" (Matt. 
ix. 6.) 

Because by that act he would demonstrate the reality of his 



186 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

False IVIiracles and Prophecies. 

cure, arnd tliat it was no phantom, but a real patient, who had 
been the object of the compassion of Jesus Christ 

840. Why does St. Mattheio sjpeak of himself in his 
gospel as "Matthew," and designate his previous occupation of 
a publican, while the other evangelists call him Levi ? 

St. Matthew, according to St. Jerome, did this from a 
motive of humility. His co-apostles, out of respect to him, 
preferred to omit any allusion to his former position, as one 
that was held in great detestation among the Jews. 

841. Why is the possession of the gifts of prophecy and 
the poiver of working miracles no proof of the sanctity of the 
possessors ? (Matt. vii. 22, 23.) 

Because these gifts have been enjoyed by bad men and 
unbelievers, as, for instance, Balaam, Caiaphas, the disobedient 
propliet, and others 

842. The text says, verse 22, •' Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, 
have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name cast out devils ? and in 
thy name done many wonderful works ?" And verse 23, " And then will I profess 
unto them I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iaiquity." This is 
illustrated by other instances than the above cited. The witch of Endor could 
prophecy ; most of the patriarchs also ; the high-priest for the time being by virtue 
of hisoflBce; the "sybiUine leaves" contained true prophecies; the oracles in the 
heathen temples occasionally spoke truth. As to miracles, Simon Magus could 
raise his body from the earth hke a bird, to the astonishment of his followers, at the 
very moment when he was opposing the apostles. 

843. Why are the people or congregation in Scripture 
called sheep ? (John x. etc.) 

Because the sheep is that creature which stands most 
(ordinarily) in want of a leader or guardian. 

844. In Ezekiel xxxiv. 31, they are the emblems of men. As sheep need a 
shepherd, so men in a civil state require a ruler, governor, or legislator. It is the 
same in the associated state as behevers in Christ ; no church or society could long 
subsist without pastors. Jesus Christ calls himself the Good Shepherd. Vitringa 
notices also that as sheep are destined for slaughter, so the first followers of Jesus 
were destined to suffer martyrdom. St. Paul, quoting the Psalms, says (Eom. 
viii. 36), " For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep 
for the slaughter." Every reader of primitive history knows that the majority of the 
early Christians were called to undergo with patience the most severe outrages from 
their imbelieving fellow-men, and to die for the truth's sake. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 187 

Symbolical Expressions. 

845. Why does our Lord say (John x. 4) that his sheep 
Icnoio him, that he calls them hy their names, and that they 

follow him 1 

Because kere (speaking allegorically of Lis true disciples) 
he uses an illustration very familiar to his oriental hearers as 
tenders of sheep, with whom the custom was to walk in front 
of their sheep — not behind them, as the practice is with us. 

846. Travellers inform us that it is tlie usual practice in the East to do so, and 
that the sheep are stiH distinguished by name by their shepherd ; but we need go no 
further than the Emerald Isle to learn that this practice may easUy obtain. An 
Irish herd invariably walks in front of his charge, encouraging them by his voice, 
and calling them by name. 

847. What was the signification of the parabolic question, 
" If a man hath an hundred sheep, and one of them he gone 
astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into 
the mountains, and seeheth that which is gone astray,'^ etc. ? 
^Matt. xviii. 12.) 

By the "one sheep" is understood the whole human race, 
and by the ninety -nine the angels in heaven. 

8i8. Jesus Christ manifests his tender regard and solicitude for us poor weak 
creatures, by becoming himself the Son of man ; thus abandoning, in some measure, 
the angels who are in heaven. He is come down upon earth to save by his death 
what was lost, imitating thus with regard to men, the conduct they themselves 
observe ■with regard to their sheep. 

849. Why did our Saviour say, that " tohere tioo or three 
are gathered togetlier in his name " he is " in the midst of 
them''? (Matt, xviii. 20.) 

To show the superior efficacy of public over private 
worship. 

850. Why did Jesus Christ heal the impotent man on a 
Sahhath-day, to the scandal of the Pharisees ? (John v.) 

Because he wished to show that the ceremonial law, or 
rather its strict letter, was not to stand in the way of charity, 
or to hinder benevolent actions ; which were to be performed, 
under every variety of circumstance, and in behalf of every 
class of men. 

851. Jesus, having healed the paralyzed man, commanded him to take up his 
bed, and walk home. This was a new crime in the eyes of the Jews ; benevolence 



188 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

A.C. 31— 33.— The Daemons Forbidden to Testify. 

had no place in their bosoms ; they persecuted Jesus, " and sought to slay 
him" (verse 16). 

852. Why did our Saviour permit the devils loho had been 
cast out of a possessed man to enter into a herd of swine ? 
(Matt. viii. 32.) 

Tlie following reasons liave been alleged : — 1. To show that 
the devils had no power even over swine without his permission. 
2. That such as were freed from their power might acknowledge 
the greatness of the favour done them, by seeing from how 
great a multitude (of demons) they had been liberated. 3. To 
punish those Jewish citizens who fed upon swine's flesh, 
contrary to the law. 4. To show how willingly the devils 
dwell in the hearts of those who are addicted to a voluptuous 
and carnal life, aptly designated by the swine. 5. That the 
owners of the swine might rise in opposition to Jesus Christ, 
preferring their temporal interests to their spiritual, and drive 
him out of their country, 

853. The event showed the reasonableness of this view; the inhabitants 
" besought Jesus that he would depart out of their coasts." 

854. Why did our Saviour forbid the unclean spirits to 
proclaim their knoioledge of him as the Messiah ? (Mark 
i. 25.) 

Because he would not suffer the devils to be produced 
as witnesses of his divinity, 

855. The fact recorded in the above text is repeated in verse 34, where, after 
casting out devils from some persons, he suiFered them not to speak, "because 
they knew him." St. Augustine says that the devils knew that Jesus was the Christ 
who had been prophesied and prefigured by so many types, but that they knew this 
in a very imperfect degree ; that is to say, they did not to its full extent appreciate 
his divinity, else they would never have persecuted to death and crucified the Lord 
of glory. It was to inform himself more fully upon this matter, that Satan 
presented himself before our Lord in the wilderness. 

856. Who loere " the children' of the scribes and Pharisees, 
of whom our Lord speaJcs as having the power to cast out 
devils?* (Matt. xii. 27.) 

Some hj this text understand that there were in the Jewish 

* "K I, by the finger of God, cast out devils, by whom do your children 
cast them out?" 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 189 



A.C. 31— 33.— Christ Feeds Five Thousand Men. 

cliurcli " exorcists," who had this power, that by invoking the 
holy name of God the devils were put to flight; others (as 
St. Chrysostom, Horn. 42) say that the apostles and disciples 
of Christ are here meant. These were all the children of 
Christ's accusers, and had already cast out devils in virtue of 
the power conferred upon them by their Divine Master. 

857. Yet thei/ had never been accused of casting out devils through Beelzebub ; 
envy alone urged the enemies of Christ to accuse him of being in (an impossible) 
league with Satan, — using the power of heU to undermine itself! 

858. What is the meaning of the word " BeelzehuV ? 

It was the flame of a Philistine idol, but was applied by the 
Jews to Satan, the leader or prince of the powers of hell. 

859. " Beelzebub" was a compound word, formed from haal, " a lord," " ruler," 
" governor," and zebub, " a fly." By the Jews the name was contemptuously 
altered to Beelzebub, which meant a •' dunghill king," or ruler ; in Latin, dominus 
stercoris. The Jews were very fond of quibbling or playing upon words, and 
frequently altered the termination of names in order to throw contempt upon 
the bearers of them. 

860. Whi/ did the ivoman who had an issue of hlood hope 
to he cured hy touching the hem, of Christ's garment ? 
(Mark V. 28.) 

Because, among the Jewish people, a particular virtue was 
habitually ascribed to the garments worn by prophets and 
others of reputed sanctity ; as, for instance, the cloak of 
Elijah, by which many prodigies are recorded as having 
been wrought. 

861. So far from this feeling, or rather faith, being discouraged by our Lord, 
the result of the woman's apphcation in the complete and instantaneous cure of her 
malady, proves that he fuUy endorsed it ; and after his resurrection, it wiU be seen 
that the apostles inherited in a large degree this transmissible miraculous power. 
In the Acts* of the Apostles we read that handkerchiefs and aprons used by 
them were made the means, under Divine Providence, of curing diseases ; even 
the •' shadow of Peter passing by" was efficacious for the heahng of the sick and 
the dispossession of demoniacs. (Acts v. 15, 16.) 

862. Why did our Saviour multiply the five loaves and 
ttvo fishes into a sufficient quantity to feed five thousand persons 
in the desert ? (Matt. xiv. 15—21.) 

1. Because he had compassion on the multitude, who had 
followed him patiently in order to hear his discourses, and 



190 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 31— 33.— Christ Walks upon the Water, 

were for the most part -unproTided with the means of refresh- 
ment. 2. Because he chose to embrace that opportunity of 
exhibiting his power as a divine person over the creatures of 
his providence by the miraculous multiplication of the food. 

863. This was one of the greatest of Christ's miracles, and it was also one 
of the nriost significant. Leaving out of view the mystical meaning of the act, the 
miracle showed the kind and gentle character of Jesus Christ in its most striking 
light. The vast assemblage had followed the great Teacher, and appear to have 
Quite forgotten to provide for the ordinary wants of their bodies. They were in 
a desert place ; it was growing dark ; the disciples were anxious that Jesus should 
dismiss the people while there was sufficient light for their return to the town ; 
but he suggests to the disciples, "knowing what he would do," that they should 
provide for them. The surprise of the disciples may be imagined. They had a 
scanty store, barely sufficient for the immediate wants of Jesus and the few 
familiar friends who constantly attended him. He commanded the loaves and fishes 
to be brought to him, the people to be seated upon the grass. He invoked the 
name of his Heavenly Father, and distributed enough to fill and satisfy the 
wondering multitude. 

864. W7ii/ did our Saviour after this miracle immediately 
de;part, going up into a mountain alone to pray ? 

Because he wished to avoid the applause of those in \\h()se 
behalf he had performed it. 

865. Why ivere the disciples, during the storm which ensued, 
alarmed at the appearance of Jesus walking upon the water ? 

Because their fears had been greatly excited by the storm, 
and under their influence they failed to recognize the person 
of our Saviour. 

866. Why did St. Peter ash to he permitted to follow the 
example of his Master hy walking upon the ivater ? 

From an eagerness to join our Saviour's company, and a 
belief that at the command of Jesus he could do what to his 
mere human nature was impossible. 

867. Why did St. Peter begin to sink u \en at the com- 
mand of Jesus he walked upon the lake ? 

Because his first fervent faith began to cool ; not that he 
lost it, but that he suifered his fears of the wind and waves 
to interrupt the confidence which he at first experienced. 

868. As long as Peter had his eye and faith fixed on Christ the liquid element 
yielded not to his steps; but the moment he turns his thoughts on himself, his 
own weakness, and the violence of the wind and waves, he begins to lose confi- 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 191 

A.C. 31— 33.— The Lord's Prayer given. 

denee, and on that account to sink. fLgain his faith saves him; he calls upon 
his Lord, who stretches forth his arm and takes hold of him. — (Jansen.) 

By his confidence iu God we learn what we can do by the divine assistance, 
and by his fear what we are of ourselves ; also that no one receives from God the 
strength he stands in need of but he who feels that of himself he can do nothing. 
— (St. Augustine, Serm. 76.) 

869. Wh^ did our Saviour " touch " the leper when lie 
designed to heal him of his leprosy, ivhen hy the Jeivish law 
such an act would render him legally unclean ? 

Because he would thereby show to the Jews that although 
as a man he was obedient to the law, as God he was superior 
to it ; the fact of the leprosy being at once miraculously cured 
being the best proof thereof. 

870. According to the law the leper had to go through a number of tedious 
and fatiguing ceremonies previous to his hoping even to be cleansed. Probably 
the leper in question had complied with all the required rules laid down in his 
case, but had failed to reap any benefit from" them. Is'ow that he is instanta- 
neously cleansed by our Lord, he is told to show his gratitude to God by a com- 
pliance with the legal eonditious, 

871. Why was the " Lord's prayer " given ? 

As an example of brevity, comprehensiveness, and sim- 
plicity ; in contradistinction to the tedious and self-laudatory 
effusions used and recommended by the Pharisees and Jewish 
doctors. 

873. That this was the reason for giving the "Our Pather" may also be 
deduced from the foct that the only other model of a good prayer left to man by 
Jesus Christ is that put in the mouth of the Publican (Luke xviii. 13), and which 
consists of seven words only. Jahn* says:— "Our Lord's prayer is a selection 
of the most devotional and appropriate sentinaents from the Jewish formularies 
extant in his time." 

873. Why were special directions given hy our Lord with 
regard to the distribution of alms ? f (Matt. vi. 1.) 

Because at that time the practice of alms-giving, which 
had been prescribed by the Mosaic law as a religious duty, 
had degenerated into an ostentatious and organized hypocrisy 
among the Jews, who used to summon the poor to a conspi- 
cuous part of the town or city by the aid of a trumpet. 

* Biblical Archaeology, \ 396. 

t " Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a tnmipet before thee, 
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have 
the glory of men." (Matt. vi. 2.) 



192 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

A.C. 31— 33.— Lazarus Kestored to Life. 

874 What is meant hy tli% sin against the Holy Ghost 
vjhich should not he forgiven, " neither in this viorld, nor 
in the world that is to come'' ? (Matt. xii. 31.) 

By this sin is understood wKat is called "wilful blindness," 
or a shutting the eyes of the mind to evident truth. 

875. " From its very nature tMs sin would be incapable of pardon; for as long 
as a man will not see that he needs pardon he will omit to ask for it, and thus 
he will never obtain it." — (Calmet.) 

A great many discourses have been made upon this subject ; even the greatest 
commentators admit the difficulty of the question. St. Augustine takes notice that 
this is one of the most mysterious passages in the Scriptures, as it seems to go 
against what is elsewhere stated, that there is no sin so heinous as to be beyond 
the reach of pardon. 

876. Who teas Lazarus ? 

He A^ as an inhabitant of Bethany, the brother of Mary and 
Martha, in whose abode our Saviour stayed while preaching 
in that part of Jadea. 

877. Very few particulars are known of the career of this friend of Jesus ; for 
that he held that favoured relationship to our Lord is evident by the evangehcal 
narrative. Jesus is therein represented as weeping at the news of Lazarus's death, 
and it is the only example in the gospels of our Lord having shown such a token of 
regard for any of his disciples. Lazarus was thirty years old when the miracle 
recorded in John xii. was worked : he lived thirty years afterwards, and by some 
is said to have itinerated as an apostle in France. Many churches in that 
country are named after Lazarus, e.g., St. Lazare at Paris. 

878. Why did the Jews seeh to kill Lazarus, tvhom our 
Lord had restored to life after he had been viore than four 
days dead ? 

Because that, by reason of the miracle performed in his 
behalf, many of the Jews went away and believed on 
Jesus. 

879. The resuscitation of a person so well known as Lazarus was a work of 
Christ beyond measure great, and of all the miracles he had hitherto wrought 
undoubtedly the most stupendous. It is minutely described in John xi. The 
credit which Jesus obtained among the people by this illustrious act, of which 
the life and presence of Lazarus afforded a standing evidence, was gall and worm- 
wood to the Sanhedrim. Accordingly they sought, by every or any means, to 
assassinate him. In this they were, however, completely foiled ; Lazarus escaped 
to proclaim far and wide the doctrines and glory of Jesus Christ, 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 193 



A.C. 31— 33.— The Sentence upon Capernaum. 

880. Why loere the friends of Lazarus, icpon his being 
recalled to life by Jesus Christ, bidden to " loose him, and 
let him go"? (Jolin xi, 44.) 

Because such was the nature of the methods used by the 
Jews in burial, that a corpse was coropletely bound and 
fettered by the grave-clothes. 

881. The character of the Egyptian mode of sepulture is familiar to every one 
who has visited our national museums. The Jewish method differed to some extent 
from this ; the process of embalming was gone through to a greater or lesser extent, 
according to the means of the friends of the deceased. In the case of Lazarus it 
would appear that embalmment was omitted. Martha and Mary were poor ; and 
the fear expressed by them that, having been dead four days, his body would emit 
an offensive odour (ver. 39), would seem to preclude the notion. The corpse, after 
receiving the preliminary attentions — the ablutions, etc. — ^was enveloped in the 
grave-clothes. The disposition of these will be understood from the annexed cut. 
Sometimes these 
clothes were no- 
thing more than 
the ordinary dress, 
or folds of linen 
cloth wrapped 
round the body, ghave-clothes. 

and a napkin about the head ; at others a more elaborate shroud was used for the 
purpose, and was plain or ornamental, according to taste or other circumstances. 
In every case the body was completely imprisoned, and it will hence be easily seea 
how necessary it was that the revived Lazarus should receive assistance from 
the bystanders, in order that he might be *' loosed" and "let go." 

882. Why did our Lord pronounce the severe sentence 
upon Capernaum? (Luke x. 15.) 

" Christ, having left Nazareth, made this city the usual 
place of his abode. There was no ci(y in which he had 
preached so much or wrought so many miracles. On this 
account he said it was exalted to the heavens ; but for its 
incredulity he declares that it shall be cast down even to 
hell."— (Calmet.) 

883. Why is the "woe" tittered by our Lord against 
Chorazin particularly noteimrihy ? 

Because for many hundreds of years no traces, not even 
the name, of this town, have been found ; so that the fate of 
total obliteration appears to have long since overtaken it. 

10 




194 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Children and "their Angels." 

884. St. Jerome speaks of Chorazin as a town of Galilee, on the shores of the 
lake Tiberias; but no modern geographer or traveller has been able to find 
its site. 

885. Wki/ is it said (Matt. v. 18), " Till heaven and earth 
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no ivise pass from the law 
till all he fulfilled'' ? 

1. Because our Lord came to fulfil the intention of the 
ceremonial and typical parts of the law ; until he had done so 
in his own person, no part of that law should be set aside. 
2. Because, although the types (being accomplished) would 
cease, the moral law should last for ever, i. e., until heaven 
and earth should pass away. 

886. The word "jot " is here the jod of the Hebrew and the iota of the Greek. 
It is a small letter, and is used to signify the least, as alpha and omega, being the 
first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, stand to represent " the first and last," 
" the beginning and the end " 

887. Why did the Jewish 'people present their children to 
Jesus, that ^' he might put his hands on them and pray''? 
(Matt. xix. 13.) 

It was the custom to present children to men reputed Jis 
holy, as it is now the custom for bishops and clerics to pray 
and give a blessing to others. 

888. It was to the *' elders" that these presentations took place. In all proba- 
bility our Lord had a very serious and venerable appearance, notwithstanding his 
real youth, he being then not thirty-three years of age, or, according to the 
reckoning of some, not more than thirty-eight. It is said that among the children 
presented to our Saviour upon this or a similar occasion was the afterward 
illustrious Ignatius, bishop and martyr of Antioch. 

889. Why did our Saviour say, in reference to children, 
" their angels do ahoays hehold the face of my Father which 
is in heaven"! (Matt, xviii. 10.) 

1. Because he thus advanced the strongest possible argu- 
ment for their protection. 2. To show that there are such 
beings as *' angel guardians." 

890. The Jews at that time believed that men bad their good angels, or angels 
appointed to be their guardians. (Gen. xl. 16.) St. Paul refers to this belief in the 
passage, " Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who 
shall be heirs of salvation ?" (Heb. i. 14.) 

As to the belief of the early Church, St. Augustine says : — " I esteem it, O inv 
God, an inestimable benefit that thou hast granted me an ang;;l to guide me from 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 195 



The Forgiyeness of Injuries. 

the moment of my birth to my death." — (St. Augustine, " Of the Love of God," 
cap. 12.) 

891. Why does oiw Saviour say that " it is not the loill of 
your Father loho is in heaven that one of these little ones 
should perish" (Matt, xviii. 14), while in another place he says 
that a great many will perish ? (Matt. vii. 13.) 

There is no contradiction here, as will be seen by the 
statement of the case: — 

893. " Here some may perhaps object, that since the Almighty does not wish 
any of his httle ones to perish, he must consequently wish all to be saved, ai)d 
therefore that all will be saved. !N'ow this is not the cuse : the will of the Almighty 
is therefore sometimes frustrated in its effects, which is contrary to Scripture. The 
answer to this objection is, that in God we must distinguish two distinct wiUs — the 
one antecedent, the other consequent. A person wills a thing antecedently/ when he 
^^•ills it merely as considered in itself ; for instance, a prince wishes his subjects to 
live, inasmuch as they are all his subjects. But a person wills a thing consequently 
when he wills a thing in consideration of some particular circumstance. Thus, 
though the king wishes all his subjects to hve, he nevertheless wiUs that soiDe 
should die if they turn traitors, or disorganize the peace of society. In the same 
manner the Almighty wishes none of his little ones to perish, inasmuch as they are 
all his creatures, made to his own image, and destined for the kingdom of glory; 
though it is equally certain that he wills the eternal punishment of many who have 
turned away from bis service, and followed iniquity. If this distinction is observed, 
it is easy to see what our Saviour meant when he said, that it was not the will of 
his father that any of these httle ones should perish." — (John Damascenus.) 

893. Why teas St. Peter, in answer to his question (Matt 
xvii. 21), told that he must forgive his offending brother seventy 
times seven, i. e., four hundred and ninety times ? 

By that expression our Lord meant to say tliat there was 
to be no limit to the extension of our forgiveness to a 
brother ; ia other words, we are to pardon private injuries, 
though done ever so often. 

894. St. Peter knew the Jews to be much given to the passion of revenge; he 
therefore thought it a great proof of superior virtue to be able to forgive seven times. 
It was for this reason he proposed this question to our Lord, who, to show how much 
he esteemed mutual charity, immediately gave him the above answer. 

895. Why did our Saviour seem to reject the 2^6titio7i of 
the Canaanitish woman, tvho hesought his aid to cure her 
daughter! (Matt. xv. 22—28.) 

Because he wished to try her faith and power of 
perseverance. 



196 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

St, Peter's Martyrdom predicted. 

896. Whi/ did our Lord call her hy inference a dog 1 

It being customary among the Jews to apply the term 
to tlieir G-entile neighbours, he accommodated himself for 
the time to that view, in order the better to try the 
woman's patience. 

897. He refused at first to listen .to her petition," saj's St. Chrysostoro, 'to 
instruct us with what faith, humihty, and perseverance.we ought to pray. To make 
his servants more sensible of his mercy, and more eager to obtain it, he often 
appears to pay no attention to their prayers tiU he has exercised them in the 
virtues of humility and patience." 

898. Why did our Saviour object to the observations on 
the weather made by the scribes and Pharisees ? (Matt, 
xiv. 2—4.) 

Because they suffered these less important matters to 
engross so much of their attention, while they permitted the 
more interesting prognostics of his coming and appearance to 
pass over without observation, or at least without benefiting 
by them. 

899. Why was the name of Peter given to Simon 1 
(Matt. xvii. 18.) 

In reward for his bold and faithful declaration that Jesus 
was the Christ, the Son of the living Grod. 

900. What is the meaning of the toord Peter ? 

It is formed from the Syriac ceplias and G-reek petros, 
*• a rock," and signified that its possessor was a rock or strong 
defence of the truth, or a foundation upon which the Church 
should be built. 

901. Why is it said of St. Peter, that when he should he 
old, " he should stretch out his hands, and another should 
gird hion^' ? 

Because in these words the martyrdom of the apostle was 
intended to be foreshown; the act of stretching out the hands 
being among the Jews and Eomans of that day a mark of 
submission. 

902. It was customary in the ancient combats for the vanquished person to 
throw up or stretch out his hands to the conqueror, signifying that he dechned the 
battle, yielded the victoi-y, nnd submitted to the direction of the victor. To this 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 197 

The Temptation of tlie Tribute IMoncr. 

custom our Lord alludes in his predictioa to St. Peter. The aged apostle was to 
stretch out his hands as a token of submission to that power (the Eoman empire), 
under which his mortal part would fall and perish. 

903. Why did St. Peter merit the severe rehu'ke from our 
Saviour conveyed iii the words, ''Get thee hehind me, Satan"? 
(Matt. xvi. 23.) 

Because, out of mistaken zeal, he opposed Clirist's passion 
and death, without which the great work of man's redemption 
could not hare been effected. 

904. The word Satan here used was the same as adversary. Peter, however 
mistakenly or unwillingly, was for the moment the adversary of Jesus Christ. He 
did not understand that there was nothing more glorious than to niake one's 
self a sacrifice to God. 

905. Why did, Jesus Christ dismiss without a sentence of 
'punishment the woman taken in adultery? ( John riii. 3 — 11.) 

Because he wished to show the Jews who accused her that 
her sin, although heinous, was not greater than those which 
they were ia the daily habit of committing, and which he 
was ready to forgive whenerer they should show signs of 
repentance equal to those exhibited by the woman in question. 

906. Jesus Christ does not say, " I do not object to your sinning," but " go and 
sin no more." It is evident that the woman was really sorry for her crimes, or he 
who beholds all hearts would not have pronounced her pardon. The law with 
regard to the stoning to death of persons taken in adultery will be found in Deut. 
xvii. 2 — 7; the apostoHc commentary upon the conduct of the woman's accusers in 
Eomans ii. 1. 

907. Why did the Pharisees and Scribes jput difficult ques- 
tions to our Lord under the form, "Is it lawful?" when they 
themselves, as the possessors and expounders of the law, could 
stand in no need of any information ii-pon the matters 
referred to ? 

Because they wished to lead him into admissions contrary 
to the Mosaieal code, and thus hare an occasion to denounce 
him to the people as a subverter of the law. 

908. What advantage to themselves did the Jews, the 
enemies of Jesus, expect from the temptation of the tribute- 
money ? (Luke XX. 20, etc.) 

They hoped by their cunningly-contrived questions to 



198 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



The Temptation of the Tribute Money. 

inveigle our Lord into the expression of some words or advices 
wKich sliould ofiend either the Jewish converts, the Herodians 
(or partisans of Herod), or the Roman imperial power. 

909. " Is it lawful," said they — showing him a piece of the tribute-money — 
" to give tribute to Caesar, or no ?" They hated, of course, the domination of Csesar. 
Had our Lord advised the willing payment of the tribute, the Jews of every class 
would have been offended. Had he advised a doubtful course by referring the 
matter to Herod, who, as ruler of Galilee, was his temporal king, and who aspired 
to an independent rule, he would have been also in danger. Had he disapproved of 
the payment, the Jews would undoubtedly have denounced Jesus to the imperial 
tribunals as a disaffected person and a stirrer-up of revolution. He turned the 
question against themselves by showing them that the current coin bore the image 
and superscription of the Koman emperor, intimating that those who had allowed 
themselves to be enslaved, as proved by the coin, must expound the import and 
bear the consequences of their own act. 

910. Why was tlie j[)ayment of this trihute-money so odious 
io the Jews ? 

Because, notwithstanding their degeneracy, they regarded 
themselves as the people of God, and as such exempted from 
any such imposition. 

911. To oppose the levying of this tribute, Judas the Gaulonite (b.c. 3) raised 
an insurrection of the Jews, asserting that it was not lawful to pay tribute to a 
foreigner, that it was a token of servitude, and that the Jews were not allowed to 
acknowledge any for their master who did not worship the Lord. They boasted of 
being a free nation, and of never having been in bondage to any man (I). These 
sentiments were extensively promulgated, but all their efforts were of no avail in 
restraining or mitigating the exactions of their conquerors. 

912. Why did the apostles aftenoards (Acts v. 37) 
recommend the payment of this and similar imposts 1 

Because as they had received instructions from the Holy 
Spirit, they laid it down as a christian duty that every one 
should be loyally subject to the higher power, "for the powers 
that be are ordained of God." 

913. Our Lord had in his own person set his apostles an example of this. Being 
called upon to pay the tribute, and being without money, by his direction the apos- 
tles draw a fish from the water, and extract from its mouth the necessary coin. 
(Matt. xvii. 27.) 

914. Why is it said, in ansioer to the objections of the 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHV. 199 



The Sadcliicees Silenced. 

Sadducees, loho denied the resurrection, that in a future state 
the just shall he like the angels ? (Matt. xxii. 30.) 

Because in that state the duties as well as the pleasures 
will be of a character different in an infinite degree to those 
of the earth. 

915. The objection taken by the Sadducees that a confusion would occur between 
the several husbands of one wife is shown by our Lord to be idle : the body will 
be reunited to the soul in heaven, and thus far the state of the blessed will differ 
from that of the angels, who are purely spiritual intelligences ; but as there will 
be no marrying, or giving in marriage ; as the occupations, the aims, the whole 
scope of celestial being, will differ from terrestrial, any squaring of the one set of 
ideas \vith the other, or any argument from the one to the other, is out of the ques- 
tion. The just will be like the angels chiefly in deriving all their gratification from 
the perfect knowledge and presence of G-od ; from the gift of immortality, im- 
passibility, etc. 

916. Why did our Lord foretell in such a striking manner 
the fall of Jerusalem ? 

In order that the Jews, from the regard in which they held 
their city and temple, might be the more readily touched and 
their interest the more thoroughly excited. 

917. The particulars handed do^vn to us of the fall of Jerusalem correspond 
exactly vrith the predictions contained in Luke xxi. 9 — 11. Josephus, in his 
History of the Wars of the Jews, relates at length many of the prodigies wliich 
were the forerunners of the dreadful end of that unfortunate city. During a whole 
year a meteor, like a flaming sword, was seen impending over Jerusalem. There 
were likewise seen in the air appearances of chariots and numerous armies, which 
pressed one upon another. On the night of Pentecost the priests, after a confused 
noise, heard distinctly these words, "Let us go hence;" which Josephus attribuced 
to the angels who had hitherto guarded and protected the holy city, but were now 
taking their leave of it. Josephus was in the Eoman camp, before the city, during 
the siege, and an eye-witness of what passed on the occasion. 

918. 7F7^y does our Saviour say (Luke xxi. 24) that " Jeru- 
salem shall he trodden doton of the Gentiles until the times of 
the Gentiles shall he fulfilled " ? 

The answer to this question, given by CaJmet, is as 
follows : — 

919. "After Jerusalem had been taken and destroyed by the Eomans, another 
city was built from its ruins, caUed JSHa, after the name of the Emperor ^lius 
Adrian. This was inhabited partly by Pagans and partly by Christians, for the 
Jews were forbidden even to come near it for more than two or three centurie.'! . 
They even bought, at a great price, permission to look at it from a distan-)*;, and 



200 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Destruction of Jerusalem foretold. 

to drop a tear over tlie ashes of their ancient and ill-fated country. Thus was 
Jerusalem trodden under foot of the Gentiles until the times of the latter were 
accomplished ; that is, tiU Christianity in every nation had triumphed over the per- 
secution of Paganism." It is an incontrovertible fact, that the Jews have never been 
able to rebuild their temple and city from the days of Titus till now, although many 
attempts have been made to do so. 

920. Why did the " buildings of the temple," which 
attracted our Lord's notice lohile discoursing with his ajpostles, 
prompt him to utter the prediction of its fall ? (Matt. xxiv. 1.) 

Because the very works themselves, then going on by order 
of Herod, were a proximate cause of the troubles in Jerusa- 
lem which ended in its destruction. Thus : — 

921. Herod (the Great), to ingratiate himself with the Jewish people, to whom 
he was on many accounts utterly odious, formed a design (b.c. 17) to rebuild and 
beautify the temple, which now, after it had stood five hundred years, and had 
suffered from the various sieges and civil commotions, was fallen much into decay. 
He was two years in providing materials, and it was so far advanced that in nine 
years and a half more, service was performed iu it, though a great number of labourers 
and artificers were continued to finish the outworks till several years after our 
Lord's ascension. When Gessius Florus was appointed governor of Judea, he 
discharged 18,000 workmen from the temple at one time, and these, from want of 
employment, began those mutinies and seditions which at last drew on the de- 
struction of the temple and city by the Eomans in a.d. 70. 

922. What is meant hy the " abomination of desolation'" 
tohich Daniel (ix. 27) prophesied ? 

It referred to the intrusion into the holy places of the 
ensigns and images of the heathens when Jerusalen was taken 
and finally destroyed. 

923. As a general designation, it is used for whatever denotes the triumph of 
idolatrous power over the sanctuary of God. Its more particular reference in the 
New Testanaent is to the armies of Titus. The images of their gods and emperors 
were delineated on the ensigns of the Romans ; and the ensigns themselves, espe- 
cially the eagles, which were carried at the heads of the legions, were objects of 
worship ; and, therefore, according to the style of Scripture, an abomination. The 
Jews regarded them as such, and iu the midst of their apathy could be excited by 
their appearance to a pitch of heroic resistance. 

924. Why did our Saviour prophesy in reference to the 
destruction of the temple that not one stone should remain 
vpon another ? (Matt. xxir. 2.) 

In order to show that not only iu gross but in detail every 
future event was known to him, and to furnish us, who havo 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 201 



The End of the World. 



been witnesses of the perfect fulfilment of this particular pro- 
pliecy, with another argument of his Divinity. 

925. Although, under Vespasian, Jerusalem and the temple were levelled with 
the ground, the complete fulfilment of Christ's prophecy did not take place until 
some centuries had elapsed. Juhan the Apostate, wishing to falsify the predictions 
of Daniel and of Jesus Christ, attempted to rebuild the temple. For this purpose he 
assembled the chief among the Jews, and asking them why they neglected the pre- 
scribed sacrifices, was answered, that they coiild offer sacrifice nowhere but in the 
temple of Jerusalem. Upon this he ordered them to repair to Jerusalem, to 
rebmid their temple, and restore their ancient worship, promising them^ his 
concurrence in carirying on the work. This filled the Jews with inexpressible joy. 
Hence, flocking to Jerusalem, they began with scorn and triumph to insult over the 
Christians. Contributions came in from all parts. The Jewish women stripped 
themselves of their most costly ornaments. The emperor opened his treasures to 
furnish everything necessary for the building. The most able workmen were con- 
vened from all parts ; persons of the greatest distinction were appointed to direct 
the works ; and the emperor's friend, Alipius, was set over the whole, with orders to 
carry on the work without ceasing, and to spare no expense. All materials were 
laid in to an immense quantity. The Jews of both sexes bore a share in the labour ; 
the women helping to dig the ground and carry away the rubbish in their aprons and 
gowns. It is even said that the Jews appointed some pickaxes, spades, and baskets 
to be made of silver, for the honour of the work. TiU this time the foundations and 
some ruins of the walls had remained, as appears from St. Cyril, in his " Catechism," 
15, n. 15, and Euseb. " Dem. Evang." 1-8, p. 406. These ruins the Jews first demo- 
lished with their own hands, thus concurring to the accomplishment of our Saviour's 
prediction. They next began to dig the new foundations, in which many thousands 
were employed. But what they had thrown up in the day, was, by repeated earth- 
quakes, the night following cast back again into the trench. When AHpius the next 
day was earnestly pressing on the work, with the assistance of the governor of the 
province, there issued, says Ammianus MarceUinus, such horrible balls of fire out of 
the earth near the foundations, as to render the place inaccessible from time to time 
to the scorched workmen. And the victorious element continuing in this manner, 
obstinately bent, as it were, to drive them to a distance, Alipius thought proper to 
abandon, though reluctantly, the enterprise. This great event happened in the 
beginning of the year 363, and, with many very astonishing circumstances, is 
recorded by both Jews and Christians. 

926. Why tvill there he a general judgment at " the 
last day?" 

Because by that means the ways of Providence will be 
justijSed before all, and acknowledged by all. 

927. A picture, by Michael Angelo, of the Last Judgment, in the Sistine chapel 
at Eome, is thus described : — 

" The picture is grand, nay gigantic, like the mind that conceived it. It repre- 
sents Christ in the act of judging, or rather, in the act of condemning. Martyrs are 
Been, who show to the Judge of the Hving and the dead the instruments of their 

10* 



202 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Parables of our Saviour. 



torture ; souls ascend to the choirs of angels hovering above ; the condemned strive 
in vain to break loose from the grasp of the demons ; there the evil spirits burst into 
shouts of triumph at the sight of their prey ; the last who are dragged down en- 
deavour to cling to the good, who remain in Christ's kingdom; the gulf of eternal 
damnation is seen opening ; Jesus Christ is seen surrounded by his apostles, who 
place a crown on his head, and by a multitude of saints, while angels above carry in 
triumph the emblems of his passion ; and, lower down, another company of angels 
sound the trumpets which awaken the dead from their tombs and call them to 
judgment." 

928. What is the purpose of the parable of the good 
Samaritan ? (Luke x. 30.) 

The intent is to show that every person who has need of our 
assistance is to receive it ; is to be regarded as our neighbour, 
and entitled to all those acts of charity and courtesy which 
a neighbour may claim. 

929. This duty is placed by our Lord in the strongest light by his selecting as its 
object the person of a Samaritan — one who stands as the type of a bad neighbour, 
or an alien. It has been shown how bitter were the feelings engendered and 
nourished between the Jews and Samaritans. Christians are hereby taught that 
they must not restrict their charity to Christians, but extend them equally to Jews, 
infidels, and pagans. 

930. What was the purpose of the striking parable of the 
rich man and Lazarus ? (Luke xvi. 19.) 

It was intended to enforce the previous exhortations to mercy, 
and a consideration for the poor ; also to rebuke' the love of 
riches. 

931. Why is the " rich man'' in this parable not mentioned 
by name, while the beggar is so distinguished ? 

Probably because our Lord did not wish the application to 
be confined in any way, which might have been the case had a 
Jewish or a Gentile name been given to the glutton. 

932. Why is Lazarus the beggar described as in Abraham' s 
bosom ? (Luke xvi. 22.) 

Because by that expression is signified a state of perfect 
felicity in heaven. 

933. According to Hebrew diction a beloved son, though at a distance, is still 
said to be in the " bosom" of his parents. " The king is indeed very fond of that 
man, he keeps him in his bosom." "Yes the servant is a great favourite with his 
master, he has a place in his bosom." " Do you never intend your son to go out of 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 203 

Parables of our Sa-v-ioiir. 

your bosom ? " These are ordinary expressions in the East. The ideas implied by 
the term •' bosom," are, intense affection, security, and comfort. Thus, also, that 
passage in St. John i. IS, "The only begotten son, which is in the bosom of the 
Father, he hath declared him." 

934. Why is it said " hetzoeen us and you (i. e., hetiueen 
Lazarus in heaven and the glutton in hell) there is a great 
gulf fixed V (Luke xvi. 26.) 

To show that when the sinner or the saint has passed the 
portals of either dwelling, there is no possibility of return, 

935. The rich man begs Abraham, if he cannot afford him any relief in his tor- 
ments, to send at least a warning message to his brethren on earth. Abraham's 
reply was intended for the Jews. " If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither 
win they be persuaded though one rose from the deoA." 

"They would say," adds Calmet, "that the dead man was a phantom; that his 
resurrection was not real ; his assertions nugatory. When Christ raised Lazarus of 
Bethany from the dead, the miracle was known, evident, and public ; yet we find 
none of the Pharisees converted by it. They were even so mad as to enter into a 
design to kill Lazarus, to get rid of the witness who deposed against their incredulity. 
How many other miracles did he not perform in their sight which they attributed to 
the prince of darkness or to magic ! Christ raised himself from the dead. This fact 
was attested by many unexceptionable witnesses, and what did the hardened Jews 
do ? They objected, that his disciples, stealing away the body, maliciously persuaded 
the people that he had risen." 

936. Why did our Saviour eat with publicans and sinners 
to the scandal of the Jews ? 

1 . In order to win the former from their unlawful practices 
through the purity and justice of his conversation and example. 
2. In order to show to the latter that a mere outward observ- 
ance of the law established no claim to the favour of God. 

937. The Pharisees considered the publicans as irrecoverably lost characters, 
they themselves being beyond risk. It was to rebuke this self-sufficiency that Jesus 
Christ so often consorted with " sinners ;" that he gave the parables of the lost sheep 
— of the lost piece of silver — of the prodigal son — and of the Pharisee and pubhcan. 

938. What lesson is conveyed hy the parahle of the 
Tharisee and publican ? 

It exhibits the model of a true worshipper in contradistinc- 
tion to one who uses the outward ordinances of religion from 
5,n improper motive. 

939. Why is the Pharisee in the parable blcf,med for praising 



204 THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 

Parables of our Saviour. 

himself, lolien Job is commended for doing the same thing ? 
(Job xlii. 7.) 

The difference is evident : the former praised himself with- 
out any necessity, merely with an intention of indulging his 
vanity, and extolling himself over the poor publican ; the latter 
being overwhelmed with misery, and upbraided by his friends, 
as if, forsaken by God he suffered distress in punishment for his 
crimes, justifies himself for the glory of God, and for the en- 
couragement of others similarly afflicted. 

940. Why is the episode of Zaccheus related? (Luke xix.) 
An answer to this question is given by St. Ambrose: — 

941. "What sinner can despair when he sees the Saviour of mankind seeking to 
save him; when he beholds even a publican, and a rich man at the same time, who, as 
our Saviour informs us in another place, is so seldom truly converted, brought to 
the light of faith and the grace of a true conversion ?" 

Zaccheus, who was a farmer of taxes, and not a portitor or collector, at first 
moved by the simple motive of curiosity, wishes to see Jesus. He hears that the 
reputed Messiah is to pass by his neighbourhood. Beiag a very short man he 
ascends a tree to get a better view and not to be incommoded by the crowd. The first 
glance of Jesus is sufficient to convert him. Ho hastens to obey the call of his 
Lord, hearkening to the interior voice of his conscience, and making haste not only to 
repent, but to restore anything he may have unfairly acquired. — (St. Cyril.) 

942. Why is it argued that our Lord, m the parahle of the 
man who owed ten thousand talents, approves the practice of 
slavery?* (Matt, xviii. 25). 

Because it was no part of his mission on earth to alter the 
institutions or the economy of nations except so far as the spirit 
of his gospel should influence men of their own accord to do so. 

943. On the contrary, he commanded his disciples by word and example to 
submit to all the laws and regulations of society for his sake ; the only exception to 
this rule being where there was ij, complete incompatibility between the service of 
the state under ■srhich his followers found themselves and the observance of the 
divine law. 

* " The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, which would take 
account of his servants. 

" And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought to him which owed ten 
thousand talents : 

" But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded Mm to le sold, and 
^pf ^■iffi and his children, and all that he had, and p^ynaenib t.o b,e made." 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 205 



Parables of our Saviour. 

944. What was the value represented hy a talent ? 
Figuratively, it signified any great gift, moral, intellectual, 

or material. Its actual money value among the ancients is a 
matter of doubt. A talent of gold is said to be 49001b. ; of 
silver, 3751b. 

945. The ten thousand talents mentioned, Matt, xviii. 21, according to some 
authors amount to about $9,335,000. The hundred pence amounted to no more 
Ihan $15. 

946. What was the principal meaning of the parable of 
the ten talents ? (Matt. xxv. 1.) 

It was intended to enforce the truth that God will demand 
from every man an account of the use he has made of those 
talents, abilities, or means of usefulness with which he has 
endowed him. 

947. What is the lesson intended to he conveyed in the 
parable of the importunate widoio ? * (Luke xviii.) 

That Christians should be earnest and persevering in their 
prayers to God, and not be easily discouraged. 

948. This judge, who feared not God nor regarded man, yet yielded to the 
importunity of the widow, represents the absolute and sovereign power of God. 
But we must not suppose the Almighty has any of the faults we see in this 
iniquitous judge. Comparisons are not made to hold good in every particular. 
The only consequence to be drawn from the present parable is this : if a man, who 
has neither piety nor tenderness for his fellow-creatures, yield to the importunity 
of a widow, who is not wearied out with repeating her petitions, how much more 
will God, who is full of bounty and compassion to man, and only seeks occasions 
to grant him his gifts, hear the prayers of the fervent, and fill with benediction 
the petitioner, who can continue, hke the widow, to importune his mterference, and 
can beg without languor or discouragement. — (Calmet.) 



* "There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded 
man: 

"And there was a widow in that city : and she came unto him, saying, Avenge 
me of mine adversary. 

" And he would not for a while : but afterwards he said within himself. 
Though I fear not God, nor regard man ; 

" Yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by hor 
ijontinual coming she wea'^ me." 



206 THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 

Parables of our Saviour. 

949. What is the meaning of the parable commencing, 
** There was a certain householder ? '* * (Matt. xxi. 33.) 

This Master is God ; the vineyard the Jews ; the husband- 
men the Jewisli priests ; the servants God's prophets, sent from 
time to tiifte; th.e Son is our Saviour Christ, whom they 
persecuted to death. 

950. Why, in the parable of the vineyard, is the owner said 
to have built a tower ? 

Because it was customary in the East, whenever a vineyard 
was planted, to erect such a building as a sort of look-out, 
whence danger from robbers or military incursionists couhl 
be descried. 

951. Mr. Buckingham says, " I was particularly struck with the appearance of 
several small and detached square towers in the midst of vineyards, said by our 
guide to be used as watch towers, from which watchmen looked out to guard the 
produce of the lands themselves, even in the present day." 

952. What is the meaning of the ft' st portion of the parable 
beginning, " The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain 
king lohich made a marriage for his son"?f (Matt. xxii. 1 — •14.) 

The Ki7ig is God ; his Son is Jesus Christ ; the marriage is 

*" There was a certain householder which planted a vineyard, and hedged 
it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and buUt a tower, and let it out to 
husbandmen, and went into a far country. 

" And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husband- 
men, that they might receive the fruits of it. 

" And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, 
and stoned another. 

" Again he sent other servants, more than the first ; and they did unto them 
likevrise. 

"But last of all he sent ixnto them his son, saying. They will reverence 
my son. 

" But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves. This 
is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 

•' And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him." 

t " The kingdom of heaven is Hke imto a certain king, which made a marriage 
for Ilia son, 

"And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding; 
and they would not come. 

"Again, he sent other servants, saying, TeU them which are bidden. Behold I 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 207 

Parables of our Saviour. 

the Christian system ; the feast the grace of God and its fruits 
here and hereafter ; his servants were the prophets, and lastly 
John the Baptist ; the one who tvent to his farm, that portion 
who preferred temporal pursuits to religions duties ; the armies 
sent were the Eomans under Vespasian and Titus ; the hurning 
of the city, the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. 

953. What is the signification of the second portion of the 
same parable .?* 

The highways represent the world, which was now 
addressed, and not the Jews only ; both bad and good, that all 
kinds of persons, sincere and insincere, would be comprehended 
in the Church under a profession of Christianity ; the loedding 
garment was the proper disposition of a Christian (sincere faith 
joined to a good life) ; the king's inspection of the guests, the 
judgment ; the casting out, the final punishment of the 
wicked. 



have prepared my dinner ; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and aU things are 
ready : come unto the marriage. 

" But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another 
to his merchandize : 

"And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and 
slew them. 

*' But when the Idng heard thereof, he was wroth ; and sent forth his armies and 
destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." 

* " Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were 
bidden were not worthy. 

" Gro ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the 
marriage. 

'• So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all, as 
many as they found, both bad and good : and the wedding was furnished with 
guests. . 

" And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had 
not on a wedding garment. 

" And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a 
wedding garment ? and he was speechless. 

"Then said the king to the servants. Bind him hand and foot, and take him 
away, and cast him into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth. 

" For many are called, but few are chosen." 



208 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Parables of our Saviour. 

954. Wliy, in the jparable of the marriage feast, teas the 
who had not a " wedding garment " cast out into outer 

darJcness ? 

Because, according to the Eastern ceremonial, each guest 
being amply provided with a supply of appropriate clothing at 
the expense of the giver of the feast, such an omission was 
construed into an open act of contempt. The spiritual meaning 
of this portion of the parable has been pointed out. With regard 
to the Oriental practice, the following extract will be useful : — 

955. " The next day, December 3, tbe king sent to invite tbe ambassadors to dine 
with him once more. The Mehemandar told them that it was the custom that they 
should wear over their own clothes the best of those garments which the king had 
sent them. The ambassadors at first made some scruple of that comphanee ; but 
when they were told that it was a custom observed by all ambassadors, and that 
no doubt the king would take it very ill at their hands if they presented themselves 
before him without the marks of his hberality, they at last resolved to do it, and 
after their example all the rest of the retinue," — (Abassador's Travels.) 

956. What is the meaning of the 'parahle commencing, " A 
certain man had tiuo sons " .?* (Matt. xxi. 28.) 

By the first son is to be understood the G-entiles, as also 
publicans and scandalous sinners ; and by the second the 
Jewish people. 

957. This is the opinion of St. Chrysostom. Our Saviour wished to make the 
Jews sensible of their own ingratitude, and of the ready obedience of the cast-off 
Gentiles. For they having never heard the law nor promised obedience, have stiU 
shown their submission by their actions ; whereas the Jews, after promising to obey 
the voice of God, had neglected the performance. — (Horn. 68.) 

958. What toas the lesson intended to he conveyed by the 
parahle of the unjust steivard ? (Luke xvi.) 

It was meant to exalt the virtue of prudence, and was in 
no way a justification of the means used by that officer to pro- 
vide a remedy for his loss of fortune. 

* •' A certain man had two sons ; and he came to the first and said, Son, go 
to work to-day in my vineyard. 

" He answered and said, I will not ; but afterwards he repented, and went. 

"And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, 
I go, sir ; but went not. 

" Whether of these twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The 
first. Jesus saith unto them. Verily I say unto you. That the publicans and 
harlots go into the kingdom of God before you," 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 209 



Parables of oar SaTiour. 



959. " The lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely," 
i.e., being already unjust, he had husbanded his means well; so that the latter 
part at least of his injustice would prove profitable to him by making him friends, 
who when out of his appointment would, in all probability, receive him into their 
houses. People are hereby esJiorted to use their justice so that God, who is the 
rewarder of all righteousness, may after this life receive them into " everlasting 
habitations.'' — (De Lyra.) 

960. JV/ir/ is money or riclies called the " 2£ammon of un- 
righteousness " 1 

Mammon is a Syriac word, signifying riclies or Trealth; 
the term " unrigliteousness'' is affixed to show that money, or at 
least the inordinate love of it, is the fruitful source of all evil. 

961. What is tlie import of the parable of the ten virgins .?* 
(Matt. xxr. 1-13.) 

According to the best commentators it prefigures the end 
of the world. The marriage is the reward of the just in 
heaven ; the teii virgins, the world in general, partly wise and 
partly unwise ; the cry made, the last trumpet of the angel 
summoning to judgment. 

962. "After the final day of judgment," says St. Jerome, "there wiU be no 
room for prayers. Having received those within its walls who have put on in 
some degree the nature of the angels, the gate to the city of bliss will be closed 
for ever."— (St. Augustine.) 

* " Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took 
their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 

" And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

" They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. 

" But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

" While the bridegroom tarried, they all slmnbered and slept. 

" And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go 
ye out to meet him. 

" Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

" And the fooUsh said unto the wise. Give us of your oU, for our lamps are 
gone out. 

" But the wise answered, saying, Ifot so, lest there be not enough for as 
and you ; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 

•* And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came ; and they that were 
ready went in with him to the marriage : and the door was shut. 

" Afterward came also the other virgins, sajong. Lord, Lord, open to us. 

" But he answered and said, VerUy I say unto you, I know you not. 

" Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the 
Son of man cometh." 



210 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Parables of our Sayiour. 



" When the festivities in the house of the bride's father had ended, the biide- 
gTOom, attended by his friends, conducted the bride with her 'friends to his own 
abode. This ceremony took place at night, hence the need of the lamps mentioned 
in Matt. xxv. 1 ; for the bride with her companions went forth to meet the briae- 
groom, and his party came to fetch the bride home, where was held what was pro- 
perly the nuptial feast." 




^^^^^^^^^ fS^^^^^^-- --'-^^^^r^'^" 



PEESIAN MAEHIAGE CEEEMO>"r, 

A passage in Homer, forming part of the description of the shield of AchiUea, 
illustrates this point : — 

"Two cities radiant on the shield appear. 
The image one of peace and one of war ; 
Here sacred pomp and genial feast delight, 
And solemn dance and hymenial rite : 
Along the street the new-made brides are led 
With torches Jlaming " 

Eespecting the words "watch therefore," St. Augustine says — "How can we 
be always watching, it being necessary for each one to give himself sufficient time 
to sleep and rest from his many labours ? We may always keep watching in our 
hearts by faith, hope, charity, and all other good works. But when we awake, like 
the five wise virgins, we must arise and trim our lamps by supplying them with the 
oil of piety. Then they will not go out, nor will the soothing oil of a good con- 
science be wanting to us. Then will the Bridegroom come and introduce us to his 
house, where we shall never need sleep or rest ; nor will our lamps ever be in 
danger of going out. Whilst we are in this life we labour ; and our lamps, blown 
about by the winds of innumerable temptations, are always in danger of being 
extinguished; but soon their flame will become more briUiant, and the temptations 
we have sufiered here shall not diminish but increase its lustre." — (Serm. 2-l.i 



THE BIBLICAL R-EASON WIlY. 211 



St. Mary Magdalene. 



963. W/io were tlie Galileans mentioned in Luke xiii., 
'^.loJiose hlood Pilate had mingled ivith their sacrifices " .? 

They are supposed to have been some of the seditious fol- 
lowers of Judas the Galilean (or Gaulonite), who denied 
that the Hebrew people could lawfully pay taxes to a Gentile 
government ; and it is thought that some of them coming to 
offer up sacrifices in the Temple, were slain b}'' Pilate in the 
midst of the sacred function. 

964. IVhy did our Lord seem to excuse these unfortunate 
fanatics 1 (Luke v. 3.) 

Because he wished to rebuke those who rashly and un- 
charitably pronounce every misfortune that happens to their 
neighbour to be a judgment upon him. 

965. Why did our Saviour say, " Excejot ye repent ye shall 
all likewise {i.e., in a similar manner) jaerish " ? 

Because he had in his mind at that moment the fate which 
afterwards actually befell the Jews. 

966. Under the government of Cumanus (a.c. 47 — 53) 20,000 of tliem were 
destroyed about the temple. — (Josephus, Antiq. lib. xx. e. 4.) 

967. IVhat is the meaning of the phrase, " Let your loins 
he girded ahouf' ? (Luke xii. 35.) 

They who travel on foot among the Orientals are obliged to 
fasten their garments at a greater height from their feet 
than they do at other times. 

90S. Chardin observes, that " all persons who follow the pedestrian mode of 
travelling always gather up their vest, by which they walk more commodiously, 
having the leg and knee unburdened and disembarrassed by the vest, which they 
are not when that hangs over them." After this manner he supposes the Israelites 
were prepared for their going out of Egypt when they ate the first passover, 

969. Why is Mary Magdalene so called ? 

From the town or castle of Magdala, which was situated on 
the lake of Gennesareth, and where she is supposed to have 
been born. 

970. Commentators differ upon the question whether the sister of Lazarus and 
Mary Magdalene, the public sinner, were one and the same person : indeed, upon 
this point the greatest names and authorities are at variance. The point is 
immaterial. Mary Magdalene, whether as the sister of Lazarus, and the model of 
those who prefer to sit at Jesus' feet and hear his words, or as a type of the 



212 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Christ Anointed for liis Death. 



repentant sinner, has always been a favourite subject of contemplation and Jiope. 
In our Lord's last hours and at his death, Mary Magdalene was a chief and 
important witness. She stood near the cross with Mary the mother of Jesus. 
After his death, in the same favoured company, she " beheld the place wb.ere the 
body was laid ; and they returned, and prepared spices and ointments." In reward 
for her loving fidelity, she was the first, according to the gospel narrative, to whom 
our Lord vouchsafed the sight of his risen glory, and by whom the message of the 
resurrection was conveyed to "the apostles and Peter." According to his promise, 
the faith of Mary Magdalene is in everlasting remembrance, her memory has been 
embalmed, and consecrated by the veneration of all ages. By some Greek authors 
she is said to have accompanied St. John and the mother of Jesus to Ephesus, and 
to have died there about the year 53. 

971. Why did 3£ary Magdalene jpour ointment upon the 
head of our Saviour, while he was at the table of Simon the 
leper? (iVIark xir. 3.) 

Because, according to tlie symbolism of tlie East, she thus 
expressed, in the most pointed manner, her esteem and 
veneration of the person of Jesus Christ. 

972. While the entertainment was going on, the master of the family, to show 
hia respect for the company, and to prevent the hurtful consequences of indulgence, 

caused the servants in attendance to 
anoint their heads with precious un- 
guents, and perfume the room by 
burning iryrrh, frankincense, and 
other odours. Mary did no more on 
this occasion than politeness demanded 
from Simon, but which had been 
omitted by him. The balsam was 
contained in a box of alabaster, whose 
mouth was stopped with cotton, upon 
which melted wax was poured so as 
to effectually exclude the air. The 
opening of this stopper or seal was, in 
the figurative language of the country, 
called breaking the bottle. 

973. In lohat ivay could 

Mary Magdalene approach 

the feet of Jesus while at 

table in the Pharisees house, 

tears, and dry them with the 




ABASTER "WARE. 



SO as to wash them v^ith her 
hair of her head ? 

A consideration of the form of the tables, and the manner 
of eating at them then prevalent, will make this clear:— 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 213 



The Transfiguration of Christ. 

974. The tables of the ancient Jews, hke the Eomans, were constructed of three 
distinct parts, or separate tables, maldng but one in the whole. One was placed at 
the upper end crossway, and the two others joined to its ends, one on each side, so 
as to leave an open space between them, by which the attendants could readily wait 
at all the three. Eound these tables were placed not seats, but beds, one to each 
table. Each of these beds was called clinium, and three of these being united to 
surround the three tables made the triclinium. At the end of each cHnium was a 
footstool, for the convenience of mounting up to it. These beds were formed of 
mattresses, and were supported en frames of wood, often highly ornamented. Each 
guest reclined on his left elbow, using principally his right hand, which was therefore 
kept at liberty. The feet of the person reclining being towards the external edge of 
the bed, were much more readUy reached by anybody passing than any other part. 

975. Why did our Saviour commend the hehaviour of Mary 
Magdalene, and hlame that of the Pharisee ? 

Because she had as far exceeded in fervour the courtesies 
usually shown to a guest as he had fallen short of them. 

976. The first ceremony after the guests arrived at the house of entertainment 
was the salutation performed by the master of the house, or one appointed in his 
place. Among the Greeks this was sometimes done by embracing; but the 
most common salutation was by the conjunction of the right hand (as with 
us at the present day) ; grasping the right hand being reckoned a pledge of fidelity 
and friendship. Sometimes they kissed the lips, hands, knees,- or feet, as the 
person deserved more or less respect. The Jews welcomed a stranger to their 
house in the same way, for our Lord complains to Simon that he had given 
him no kiss, had welcomed him to his table with none of the accustomed tokens 
of respect. — (Paxton.) 

977. Why teas our Saviour transfigured ujpon mount 
Tahor ? 

1. Because a visible manifestation was thus given to the 
three leading apostles, of the Divinity of Jesus Christ. 2. Be- 
cause thus the Mosaical and the Prophetical systems were 
shown to have terminated, and to be merged in that of the 
JSTew Testament. 3. Because the transfiguration, from its 
glorious and consoling character, was necessary to fortify the 
drooping hearts of Christ's followers. 

978. The transfiguration holds a middle place between the temptation and 
the resurrection of our Lord, being one of the three great events which in a marked 
m;inner illustrate the development of the gospel on earth, and the disclosure of the 
majesty of its divine promulgator. 

This event is to be considered — 1. As a solemu confii-mation of the prophetic 
olfice of Christ. 2. As desigued to support the faith of the disciples, which was to 
be deeply trif d by his approaching humiliations, and to aff >rd consolation to the 



214 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



The Triumplial Entry into Jerusalem. 



human nature of our Lord himself, by giving- him a foretaste of *' the joy set before 
him." 3. As an emblem of humanity glorified at the resurrection. 4. As declaring 
Christ to be superior to Moses and Elias, the giver and the restorer of the law. 
5. As an evidence to the disciples of the existence of a separate state, in which good 
men consciously enjoy the felicity of heaven. 6. As a proof that the bodies of good 
men shall be so refined and changed, as, like Elias, to live in a state of immortality, 
and in the presence of God. 7. As exhibiting the sympathy which exists between 
the church in heaven and the church on earth, and the instruction which the former 
receives from the events which take place in the latter. Moses and EKas conversed 
with our Lord on his approaching death, doubtless to receive, not to convey 
information. 8. As maintaining the grand distinction, the infinite difference, 
between Christ and the prophets. He is "the Son." "This is my beloved Son, 
hear Mm." It has been observed with much truth, that the condition in which 
Jesus Christ appeared among men, humble, meek, poor, and despised, was a true 
and continual transfiguration; whereas the transfiguration itself, in whidi he 
showed himself in the real splendour of his glory, was his true and natural 
condition. — (Watson . ) 

979. Why did the multitude carry palm branches before 
our Saviour tvhen he rode into Jerusalem ? 

Because the palm was tlie emblem of victory. 

980. The fickle people who were so soon afterwards to cry out against Jesus, 
" Not this man, but Barabbas ! Crucify him ! Crucify him !" regarded him on the 
present occasion as a real conqueror. He had worked miracles — he had shown 
himself possessed of a power no less than divine. They would now take him by force 
and make him a king. At least such a king as befitted their earthly and grovelling 
instincts. 

The ancient writers, among whom are Plutarch, assign as the reason why palm 
branches became emblems of trimnph, the fact, that it is a natural property of the 
palm to rise up against pressure. The blessed in heaven (Eev. vii. 9) are repre- 
sented as standing before the throne with white robes and palms in their bands. 

The triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem from Bethany was on the 
first day of the week, answering to our Sunday, the very day on which, by the 
appointment of the law (Exod. xii. 3), the lamb was brought thither to be sacrificed 
at the passover. This was to show by another instance how in him all the figures 
of the laAv were fulfilled. 

981. Why did Jesus Christ ride into Jerusalem upon a colt ? 
As a token of humility, and to fulfil the words of prophecy. 

(Zech. ix. 9.) 

932. The colt, which as yet had not been used, signified the Gentiles, to whom 
God had hitherto given no written law as he had done to the Jews ; but who were 
now to bear the sweet burden of Christ. The prophecy of Zechariah was thus 
fulfilled to the very letter. By the order which Jesus Clirist gave to his apostles to 
procure the colt he showed, 1, his omniscience ; 2, his supreme dominion. He kncw 
what was going on in the village of Bethany, although at some distance from it. He 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 215 

Meaning of " Hosanna," " AJlelmali," etc. 

tells his disciples that the colt will be given to them upon their pronouncing his name, 
and saying, " The Lord hath need of him." 

983. IV hat is the meaning of the xoord Alleluiah, or 
Hallelujah ? 

It signijaes "praise to Grod," or "praise ye the Lord;" 
and is derived, through the Greek, from the Hebrew. 

984. The word occurs in its original elements in several psalms — as Ps. cxlviii., 
cxlix., and cl., each of which it commences and terminates. From its frequent occur- 
rence in this way, it grew into a formula of praise and thanksgiving, and was chanted 
as such on solemn days of rejoicing. 

985. What is the meaning of " Hosanna ?" 

It is a form of acclamatory blessing, or wishing well, which 
signifies, " Save now," " Succour now," " Be now propitious." 

9S6. When the Jews saluted our Lord's entrance into their city with hosannas, 
they meant to say, " Lord preserve this son of David, heap favours and blessings on 
him ! " They were accustomed to use the word in the Feast of Tabernacles, and this 
association led them upon the present occasion to strew branches upon the ground 
before our Lord. 

987. IVhij was the name " Son of David" hateftil to the 
Romans ? 

Because it was notorious to that people that the Jews 
looked for the advent of a great personage who, under some 
such title, should deliver them from the yoke of the heathen ; 
so that there was rebellion in the very name that he 
proclaimed. 

988. It is easy to imagine also with what expressions of derision the announce- 
ment would have been subsequently received by the wits and philosophers of Eome, 
that twelve poor fishermen of Judea had resolved to change the laws and customs, 
the philosophy, and the rehgion of the Koman empire. What a miserable plot it 
•would have been thought, and one that it was impossible could ever succeed. 
We, however, who Hve in these later times, have the haj)piness to know that while 
the religion of the " Son of DaAdd" has spread over, and lives in every part of the 
globe, the heathen empire of Eome has utterly vanished. 

989. Why was the high priest Caiaphas ahle to utter the 
true prophecy, " It is expedient that one man die for the people, 
and that the whole- nation perish not"? (John xi. 50.) 

Because lie had tlie prophetical gift in virtue of his " order," 
or office as high priest, to which it was annexed. 



213 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



The Barren Fig Tree. 



990. The gift of prophecy does not make a man acceptable to God apart from 
his personal character. It is supposed that Caiaphas exercised the sacrificial office 
alternately with his father-in-law Annas. (Luke iii. 2.) 

991. Why is it said of the Jews that " God had hlinded 
their eyes that they should not see' ? (John xii. 40.) 

The meaning is, that as a punishment for their innumerable 
treasons against him, God had withdrawn his grace from them 
and left them to the natural blindness of their own hearts. 

992. " They could not believe because they would not. For as it is the glory of 
the will of God that it cannot be averse to its own glory, so it is the fault of the will 
of man that it cannot believe." — (St. Augustine.) 

993. Why did Jesus Christ joronounce a curse ujpon the 
barren jig-tree ? (Matt. xxi. 19.) 

St. Chrjsostom thus expounds the passage in which it 
occurs ; — 

994. "By the fig-tree was represented the Jewish synagogue; the hunger of 
Christ was a figure of his extreme desire of finding it productive of good works 
answerable to the pains he had taken for more than three years. The leaves were 
their pompous show of exterior service, the barren fohage of legal rites void of the 
internal spirit and good works, the only valuable produce of the tree. By the 
withering of the tree subsequent to Christ's imprecation, the reprobation and utter 
barrenness of the synagogue are represented. Our Saviour had no enmity to the tree. 
It was an occasion to him to show that although he had often exercised his miraculous 
powers for the benefit of the Jewish people, he could also threaten and punish," — 
(St. Chrys. Horn. 68.) 

995. Why did our Saviour say, " In my Father s house 
are many mansions^ ? (John xiv. 2.) 

To inform us that in heaven (his Father's house) there were 
prepared different degrees of liappiness and glory, for the 
different orders of saints. 

996. Why did our Saviour say, in reply to the ?'equest of 
Philip to he shown the Father, " He that hath seen me hath 
seen the Father' ? (John xiv. 9.) 

Because he thus declared his equality with the Father 
as God. 

997. As if he had said, "When you see me, you see not a man only, but God, 
equal to the Father in all things. ' — (St. Chrysostom and St. Cyril.) 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 217 



Last Admonitions of Christ. 

y98. Why dAd Jesus Christ 2^^"omise his ajpostles that the 
miracles they should after his ascension perforin should he 
greater than those he had on earth performed ? (Jolin xiv. 12.) 

Because, his visible presence being witlidrawii from tbem, 
they would require a larger degree of the miracle-\rorking 
power in order to convince the unbelieving world of the 
divinity of their message. 

999. Why did our Saviour, being equal to the Father in all 
'perfections, say, " the Father is greater than I" ? (John xiv. 28.) 

Because, although as God he was equal, as man, being 
clothed with the infirmity of mortal flesh and bearing the 
penalty of man's transgression, he was less than the Father. 

1000. Why did Jesus Christ speak of his keeping the com- 
mandments of his Father, if lie ^vas equal to him as God? 
(John XV. 10.) 

Because he was here speaking of himself as man, and setting 
us an example that we must not only believe in God but keep 
his commandments. 

1001. This the tenth verse expresses thus : — " If ye keep my commandments 
ye shall abide in my love ; even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide 
in his love." Here we naturally infer two things: — 1. That Jesus Christ as God 
has the power of imposing commandments. 2. As Christians we prove our love to 
Christ bi/ keeping them. 

1002. Why did our Saviour say, " A little while, and ye 
shall not see me; and again a little while, and ye shall see 
me"? (Johnxvi. 16). 

The meaning is : After a little while — only a few hours — 
since these words were spoken during the last week of his 
earthly life — Jesus would be taken from them by death, and 
after three days they should again see him — at his resur- 
rection. He would after that remain with them some few weeks, 
and then would ascend to the Father. 

1003. Some writers interpret the passage t^us : — "After a few short days you 
shall see me depart to the Father ; again aftei a little while, after the troubles of 
this Hfe, here called " a little while," you shall be reunited to me in the kingdom of 
my Father, whither I go in order to prepare you a place." 

11 



218 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

Preparations for the Last Supper. 

iU04. Why did our Saviour, previous to his passion,* 
admonish the people to folloio the good doctrine, and to abide 
hy the authority of the Pharisees while they eschewed their had 
example ? (Matt, xxiii.) 

He did so lest anytliiiig lie Lad said against the evil lives 
of tlie Jewish leaders should be understood to throw discredit 
upon the " chair of Moses," or the official character which, as 
teachers and expounders of the law, the scribes and Pharisees 
inherited. 

1005. The obvious inference is, that ministers in avithority are not to be despised 
when they teach, because, through the frailty of human nature, they may sometimes 
or even habitually contradict their teaching by an unworthy life. 

1003. Why tvere the disciples directed to procure {for the 
paschal supper) a large upper room furnished ? 

This question is best answered by showing the arrange- 
ment of an Eastern house which was in most instances as 
follows : — 

1007. The lower floor was occupied as a store. Here were deposited the 
provisions, corn, fruit, oil, etc., necessary for the household. The drippings from 
the jars, and the odour from the fruits, rendered this portion uninhabitable except by 
the mules and other cattle which belonged to the family. The floor above this was 
that used for the ordinary purposes of li>ing. Here cooking, eating, and general 
domestic life took place. Above this the upper room was situated ; and in this 
portion all the splendour of which the possessor was capable was exhibited. The 
room is both higher and larger than those below. It generally had wide projecting 
windows, and the floor was so much extended in front beyond the lower part of the 
building, that the projecting windows considerably overhung the street. In such 

* By the word " passion " is understood the great accumulation of vicarious 
suffering borne by our Lord, in what is known as the Holy Week, or the week 
commencing with the Sunday on which he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, and 
ending with Good Friday, when he expired upon the cross. In the " Litany " used 
in the Estabhshed Church of England, the petition, " By thy cross and passioii " 
occurs ; and in a note to Dr. Mant's edition of the Common Prayer, upon that 
petition, is the following: — "The ancient Pathers of the Greek Church, in their 
Litany, after they had recounted all the particular pains in Christ's passion, as they 
are set down in the four gospels, and by all and every one called for mercy and 
deliverance, as here we do, added after all, and shut up all with this petition, 
* By thine unknown sorrows and sufferings, good Lord have mercy upon us, save 
and deliver us ; ' for he felt more of them than we know, or can distinctly 
express." 



THE BIBLICAL EEASO^T WHT. 219 



The Last, or Lord's Supper. 



an upper room, secluded, spacious, and commodious, the Lord's Supper was 
instituted ; and in a similar one St. Paul preached that parting discourse, at which 
Eutychus, OTercome by heat and drowsiness, fell asleep, and falling down from 
above, was taken up dead, (Acts xx. 9 ) 

1008. Why did our Saviour, in sending his disciples to 
■prejoare the supper-room, say, " My time is at hand " ? 

Because such was the common expression used to denote 
the near approach of a person's death. 

1009. Jesus Christ, in all his discourses with his disciples or to the people, 
adopts the common phraseology of the Hebrews. With them it was customary to 
consider that man's life had a certain allotted span, which admitted neither of 
extension or abridgment. Consequently his life was " a time," and the hour of 
death its inevitable termination. 

At the command of Jesus, the apostles go and engage a room for the celebration 
of the paschal rites. If anything was wanting to confirm them in their belief in the 
divine character of their Lord, his conduct on this occasion might well have supphed 
it. They are told to proceed towards Jerusalem. "WTien they had reached it, as 
they entered its gates, they should meet a man bearing a pitcher of water. They 
were to follow this person until they saw him enter a certain house. They were 
then to accost him in these words :— " The Master saith unto thee, Where is the 
guest's chamber, where I shall eat the passover with ray disciples.?" 

In all probability this man was a perfect stranger to the apostles, and except by 
iame knew nothing of Jesus Christ. He has a house, and therein a certain room — 
honoured in this instance above aU human habitations — in which the Master 
desires to eat the passover. At once, without hesitation, he submits to the request, 
or rather the demand, made upon him by the apostles, and j-ields possession. 
"And they made ready the passover." 

1010. Why is the Last, or Lord's Supper so called 1 
Because it was instituted by Christ, as the last act of his 

ministry, in company with the apostles, after he had supped with 
them, and immediately before he went out to be delivered into 
the hands of his enemies. 

1011. ^ Jesus having fulfilled the law of Moses, to which in all things he 
submitted, by eating the paschal supper with the twelve, proceeded to institute a 
rite, which, to any person that reads the words of the institution, Avithout having 
formed a previous opinion upon the subject, will appear to have been intended by 
him as a memorial of that event which was to happen not many hours after (Luke 
xxii. 19), and was meant to be observed by aU Christians to the end of the world. 

As often as ye eat of this bread and drink of this cup, ye shall show the Lord's 
death till he come," 1 Cor. xi. 23 — 26. In these words St. Paul adds his testimony 
to the obligation and perpetuity of the observance. 



220 THE- BIBLICAL EEASOiN WHY. 



Origin of the word Sacrament. 



1012. JVh^ did our Saviour, previous to the institution of 
the Lord^s Sitpper, wash his disci/pies' feet ? (Luke xiii. 5.) 

1. As an act of humility. It was an exemplification of liis 
own precept, "He that is greatest amonjT you let him be the 
minister." 2. To show that cleanness of heart was necessary 
as a preparation for the reception of the sacrament. 

1013. Why did St. Peter object to our Lord's performing 
such an act of humility toivards him ? 

Because, failing to perceive its hidden meaning, he thought 
the act derogatory to the dignity of Jesus Christ. 

1014. Although the most ardent and generous -minded of the apostles, St. 
Peter was undoubtedly the humblest. 

1015. Why did Jesus, before instituting the Lord^s supper, 
tahe the cup, and give thanJcs, saying, " Talce this, and divide 
it among yourselves''' ? (Luke xxii. 17.) 

Because it was the custom with the master of the feast to 
lake such a cup, to bless it with ceremony, then drink of it, 
and pass it to the guests. 

1016. The modern Jews stiU observe this custom, not only at the passover, but 
on all other great feasts. The father of the family pours wine into a cup, takes it 
in his right hand, elevates it, blesses it, tastes, and gives it round to the invited. 
Our Saviour, on the occasion in question, complied with the ordinary custom. 

1017. Why did our Saviour add to the above ivords, " JFor 
I say unto you, I toill not drink of the fruit of the vine until 
the kingdom of God shall come'' ? 

He intimated that from that moment until his resurrection 
he would not do so ; that he did so afterwards is probable 
from Acts x. 41. 

1018. Why was the Lord's Supper called by the name of 
a sacrament ? 

From the very nature of the rite, which, in its primitive 
form, was a solemn pledge of fidelity made to the person 
instituting it. 

1019. The word sacrament is derived from sacramento, a Latin word, the name 
of an oath of unlimited obedience to the general andjideliti/ to the standard, adminis- 
tered by the tribunes to the legionaries of the Koman army. 

The Church of England defmition of a sacrament is found in the Catechism, 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



MeaniDj^ of the Sacrameut. 

thus stated: — "An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given 
unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and 
a pledge to assure us thereof." 

The Eoman Catholic definition is as followss : — "A sacrament is an outward 
sign of inward grace, or a sacred and mysterious sign or ceremony ordained 
by Christ, by which gra<3e is conveyed to our souls." — (Catechism, Permissn 
superiorum.) 

Among those professing Christianity who belong to neither of the above com- 
munions, a difierent sense is put upon the word sacrament. With such, a sacrament 
is an external rite designed to represent what is spiritual and invisible, to be used as 
a means, like the reading of the Scriptures, or the frequenting of a place of worship, 
for purposes of moral improvement. It is universally agreed that a sacrament is 
something external, containing, either subjectively or objectively, some other thing 
of an internal or moral nature, and that it should have been instituted by Christ or 
by the apostles. Of the sacraments Protestants admit two, Baptism and the Lord's 
Supper. Eoman Catholics and Greeks seven, viz., 1. Baptism; 2. Penance (or 
Confession); 3. Eucharist (Lord's Supper) ; 4. Confirmation; 5. Extreme Unction 
(Anointing the Sick) ; 6. Holy Orders ; 7. Matrimony. 

1020. Why have disputes arisen among Christians tcith 
reference to the words of institution used hy Christ at the 
" last supper" ? 

Because 'of the different interpretation put upon them by 
different sections of the church — one section preferring the 
literal and grammatical sense, and another the figurative 
sense. 

1021. These divisions are thus stated : — The literal sense of the words, " This is 
my body," "This is my blood" (Mark xiv. 22 — 24!), is adopted by the Eomaa 
CathoHc, the Greek, and a portion of the English Established communions. The 
symboUcal, or figurative sense, is held by the German Eeformed Churches, the 
Genevese Confession, the Low Church or EvangeHcal party (forming the great majority 
of the Church of England), and the whole body of Protestants. 

1022. What is the difference hettoeen the literal and the 
-figurative sense of these words ? 

By the literal sense, those who hold it understand that in 
the Lord's supper th.e body and blood of Christ are in some 
mysterious way actually received ; by the figurative sense it is 
understood that the presence of Christ in the sacrament is 
not actual or real, but symbolical only. 

1023 j» Why did. our Saviour, while seated at table loith his 
apostles during the Last Supper, speah of one of them being 
about to betray him ? 

1. Because tkis would be another proof to them of his 



222: THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 33. — Conclusion of the Last Supper. 



divine foreknowledge ; and, 2, because tlius an opportunity was 
given to Judas to repent of, and abandon, bis contemplated 
treason. 

1024. W/i^ did Judas aslc, tvith the rest of the apostles, 
''Is it I"? 

Because for a moment, being asbamed of bis treacbery, be 
sougbt to conceal it by a bypocritical sbow of innocence. 

1025. Jesus had previously pointed him out in those words, " He that dippeth 
his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me." And here it may be well to 
remark the striking fulfilment of prophecy. It had been said in Psalm xli. 9, " Yea, 
mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath 
lifted up his heel against me." 

1026. What is the meaning of " he that dippeth his hand 
toith me in the dish," as applied hy our Lord to Judas ? 

It was tbe custom at tbat time to eat witb tbe bands only, 
and witbout tbe assistance of forks, wbicb were not introduced 
till many centuries after. 

1027. Why is it said hy the evangelist (St. Luke xxii. 3), 
that Satan now entered the heart of Judas Iscariot ? 

Because, baving rejected tbe opportunity of repentance 
offered bim by bis Master, be gave bimself up to tbe power 
of tbe fiend. 

1028. Why did our Lord and his apostles sing a hymn 
previous to the conclusion of the Last Supper ? 

Because such a practice formed part of tbe pascbal solem- 
nities among tbe Jews, wbicb Cbrist and bis followers 
were strict in maintaining up to tbe moment of tbeir 
abolition. 

1029. The hymn which was sung is generally supposed to have been the latter 
part of the " JELallel" or series of psalms prescribed by the ritual of the period, 
viz.. Psalms cxiii. to cxviii., the first two being sung before, and the other four after 
the passover. 

From this precedent and the precept of the apostle (Eph. v. 19, etc.), 
" Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," the systems 
of hymnology at present in use with the Christian churches took their rise. 

1030. What ivas the situation of Gethsemane ? 

It was adjacent to Jerusalem, on tbe east side, over tbe 
brook Kidron, and at tbe foot of tbe Mount of Olives. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 223 

A.C. 33.— The Agony in the Garden. 

1031. The term Gethsemune means " garden of olives." The place was a small 
plot, or enclosure, occupying part of a level space between the brook Kidron and the 
foot of the mount. The place, as now pointed out, corresponds in eyery particular 
with aU the conditions of the Scripture narrative. It is about fifty paces square, 
and is enclosed by a wall of no great height, formed of rough loose stones. Eight 
very ancient ohve-trees now occupy this enclosure, some of which are of a very 
Lirge size, and all exhibit symptoms of decay, clearly denoting their great age. 
The farden at present belongs to one of the monastic estabUshments, by the 
members of which some young trees have been planted to supply the places of those 
which have disappeared. 

1032. Wliy did our Lord, during Ms agony in the garden, 
become " exceedingly sorroicful even unto death " ? 

The cause of his grief was not the fear of suffering, since 
he took upon himself human nature to suffer and to die for 
us ; but the cause of his grief was the unhappy state of Judas, 
the scandal his disciples would take at his passion, the repi*©- 
bation of the Jewish nation, and the destruction of the miserable 
city of Jerusalem. 

1033. Why did our Lord pray that the cup of his suf- 
ferings might pass from him ? 

Because there was in the person of Jesus Christ two dis- 
tinct natures— that of God, and that of man. "While the former 
could not suffer, the latter was amenable to human anguish, 
under the influence of which our Saviour thus prayed. 

1034. A commentator says : — " Christ our Eedeemer was truly God, and as 
truly man. And being ' made man* by a real union of his divine person and nature 
to our weak and infirm human nature, he likewise took upon him our infirmities, 
sin excepted. We must consider him as man when we read of his being tempted 
in the wilderness ; when he wept at the grave of Lazarus ; as often as we read of 
his praying, and redoubling his prayer, as in the garden; when we find him affected 
with fear, sadness, and grief; for though, as God, he could prevent and hinder 
these passions and aff'ections natural to man, yet he could permit them to touch 
his human nature. As he permitted himself to be seized with hunger after fasting 
forty days, so he permitted his human nature to be seized with fear and grief in 
the garden of Gethsemane. 

1035. Wliy did the chief priests and the captains (i.e., the 
Homans) covenant with Judas to hetray Jesus ? 

Because, although they might easily have apprehended bin; 
openly in the day-time, they feared to do so, the people being 



224 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



AC. 33.— Betrayal of Christ by Judas. 

greatly divided in opinion as to the character of our Lord and 
likely to interfere in his behalf. 

1036. The Jews and Eoman governor were equallj' in dread of a tumult- The 
former, consistently with their practice of straining at gnats and swalIo^Ting camels, 
wished to keep themselves legally clean for the Fassovef, while they were equallj' 
desirous of crucifying Jesus as a preliminary to its celebration. The latter was 
anxious to have the province under his care in a weU-ordered state, as upon his 
behaviour aiid the prosperity of the country his hopes of a "triumph" at head- 
quarters entirely depended. This was why the Jews and " captains " (Luke xxii. 4) 
"sought opportunity to betray him in the absence of the multitude." 

1037. TF/ii/ did the " haitd'^ loJio arrested our Saviour carry 
lanterns ? 

Because the situation of the garden, in the deep ravines 
on the western side of Olivet, was such, that although the full 
moon (at the Passover) shone, its rays would not reach the 
spot so as to enable them to distinguish objects clearly without 
their assistance. 

1033. Lanterns and torches formed part of the equipment of soldiers in marches 
and attacks by night. Illustrations of this fact are presented by the remains of 
the Egyptian monuments. 

1039. Who loas Pontius Pilate ? 

He was -the fifth Homan procurator or governor of Judea, 
successor of Yalerius Gratus, and was appointed to his office 
by the Emperor Tiberius, in the thirteenth year of his reign 
(A.D. 28). 

1040. Why did our Saviour, in rejply to the question of the 
high;priest whether he was the Son of God (Matt. xxvi. 64), 
rej>ly, " Thou hast said," instead of " Yes " or " No " ? 

Because the former was the usual mode of delivering an 
answer in the affirmative. 

1041. The formula of assent or affirmation was as foUows : — "Thou hast said," 
or " Thou hast rightly said." We are informed by the traveller Arida that this is 
the prevailing mode of a person's expressing his assent or affirmation to this day 
in the vicinity of Mount Lebanon, especially when he does not wish to assert any- 
thing in express terms. It was not in the ordinary course of our Lord's practice 
to proclaim his own dignity, especially before sinners. He had cautioned hia 
followers not to throw pearls before swine. 

1042. Why did Peter deny Christ? 

Because he was entirely overcome by his fears and the 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON AVHY. 2';i6 



A.C. 33.— Jesus Led before Pilate. 



horror of tlie sitiation, vrhen lie saw his blaster a prisoner in 
the hands of his enemies, and the whole of his followers, ex- 
cepting two or three persons, dispersed, 

10i3. Peter's denial was the act of his lips, an act to which his heart was in 
no way accessorr. "While he disclaimed a knowledge of his Divine Master, his whole 
soul was torn br a sense of the treason that he was committing ; accordingly he 
went out after the third denial " and wept bitterly." This weeping for his fault 
would appear to have remained a characteristic cf St. Peter. He has been chosen 
as the 2s'ew Testament model of penitents, and a tradition informs us that during 
the remainder of his mortal career his tears would flow whenever he heard the 
crowing of a cock. 

1044. 777/ J/ did our Lord allude to iJie cocTc croiciny in his 
propJietical declaration to St. Peter ? 

Because of the method in use among the ancients, and es- 
pecially the Romans, of dividing the night into periods, two 
of which latter were marked as "the first " and " second cock- 
crowing." 

lOio. The periods of the night were thus distinguished : — iTedia nox (or mid- 
night) was the end of one and the beginning of another day ; medicB noctes incli- 
natio was about the time alluded to in " Macbeth :" — 

" Macleth. What is the night ? 

" Ladi/ Macbeth. Almost at oddi with morning which is which" — 

when only the most northern stars are seen revolving; galUcinium, cock-crowing; 
ccniicinium, when they give over crowing. Thtis the two cock-crowings were 
understood, and hence the expression, "Before the cock crow twice thou shalt 
deny me thrice." (Mark xiv. 30.) 

1046. TT//?/ icas our Lord tal'en before Pilate, the Boman 
governor ? 

Jesus having been betrayed, apprehended, and found guilty 
of blasphemy by the Jewish Sanhedrim, was delivered to Pilate, 
in order to undergo the punishment of death, according to the 
law in that case provided. 

1047. Why did not the Jews themselves put Jesus to death 
as they had the will to do ? 

Because the power of life and death had been taken from 
them bv their Roman masters. 
11* 



226 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 33.— The Potters' Field Purchased, 

1048. Wha: is tlie meaning of the word " GahhatJia" or 
'' Liihostrotos," the name given to Pilate's hall of judgment? 

It signifies literally "stone-paved," is an adjective, but is 
applied substantively by G-reek writers to denote a platform of 
stone. 

1049. This stone pavement was a trifling but not insignificant link in the chain 
of the Jewish subjection to their heathen masters. It was a favourite mode of 
decoration with the Koman people, and Suetonius relates that Julius Caesar even in 
his military expeditions took with him the materials of tesselated pavements ready 
prepared, that wherever he encamped they might be laid down in the praetorium. 
Hence it has been inferred that the Gabbatha had a tesselated pavement. That 
it was a roofless hall or court appears from the passage ( John xviii. 29), "Then 
Pilate went out unto them" (the Jews), who, for ceremonial reasons, did not choose 
to expose themselves to too close a contact with the governor. 

1050. Why IV as the '^Aceldama,'' or ^^ potters' field," pur- 
chased with the thirty pieces of silver, which Judas, in his 
despair, returned to his employers, the Jewish priests ? 

1. Because this field was an exhausted quarry of fuller's 
earth, no longer of use for its original purpose, and, therefore, 




JEWISH SHEKEL. 



to be easily purchased. 2. Because the still extant properties 
of the soil were good for rapidly decomposing bodies deposited 
therein. 3. Because the Jews were forced blindly, or in spite 
of themselves, to fulfil the word of the prophecy even to the 
very letter. (Eefer to Zech. xi. 12, 13.) 

51. The potters* field was called Aceldama, or Hokeldema, or the field oj 
Hood, be a-ise purchased with blood-money. It was used to bury those who as 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 227 

A.C. 33. — Jesus is Scourged. 

strangers could have no entrance into the cemeteries of the Jews. Being filled with 
hatred and revenge against Jesus Christ, it would be absurd to suppose that thsy 
did this vrith a charitable motive, " to bury strangers." Their intention, accord- 
ing to St. Jerome, was to disgrace Jesus, by thus keeping alive in the nainds of the 
people that he was sold by one of his own disciples and delivered up to an ignomi- 
nious death. The piece of land was of small value, having been exhausted in making 
pottery ware. There still remains on the spot a charnel house. In the middle ages 
the remains of its soil used to be transported to Italy, in order to its being spread 
over newly-formed cemeteries. This was the case at Pisa. 

1052. Why did Pilate, who entertained no hatred personally 
towards our Lord, deliver him to the soldiers to he scourged ? 

1. Because it was part of the usual mode of procedure, that, 
when a criminal was condemned to tlie cross, he should pre- 
viously suffer the penalty of scourging. 2. Because h.e wished, 
by this apparent severity, to soften the minds of the Jews 
towards Jesus, and induce tKem to consent to his liberation. 

1053. Why did the soldiers moch Jesus, putting a scarlet 
cloak upon him, a reed in his hand, and a crown of thorns upon 
his head ? 

Because, belonging to the basest dregs of humanity, and 
hearing that Jesus bad been condemned as an aspirant to 
kingly honours, tbey thought to curry favour with the Jews by 
a burlesque of the ceremony of coronation. 

This mocking of a person condemned to death for alleged treasonable acts, 
was a very common practice in the East, and obtains to the present day among the 
Persians. Morier says : — " Mohammed Zemaun Khan was carried before the king. 
When he had reached the camp the king ordered Mohammed Khan, chief of his 
camel artillery, to put a mock crown upon the rebel's head, bazubends, or armlets 
on his arms, a sword by his side, to mount him upon an ass with his face towards the 
tail, then to parade him throughout the camp and to exclaim, ' This is he who wanted 
to be the king.' After this was over, and the people had mocked and insulted him, he 
was led before the king, who called for his looties and ordered them to turn him 
into ridicule by making him dance and make antics against his will. He then ordered 
that whoever chose might spit in his face. After this he received the bastinado on the 
soles of his feet." How terribly does this scene recall the moekings of our Lord ! 

1054. Why did the Jews spit in our Lord's face during his 
humiliation. 

Because it was an act of thorough. corj>umely — a punishment 
wbich, in their opinion, carried with it a lasting disgrace. 

1055. Like all their other acts it the more truly stamped the character and 
identity of the Messiah who was to come. This very act, wicked as it was, had brep 



228 THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 



A.C. 33 — Pilate Condemns Jesus to Death. 



foreshown as one that should be permitted against his person (see Isaiah 1. 6), "I 
hid not my face from shame and spitting." The act of spitting, even upon the 
ground, was considered insulting by many Eastern nations — how much more the 
spitting in the face. 

1056. TThy was our Lord sent hy Pilate hound to Serod ? 
Because lie was very desirous to rid liimself of the odious 

task of condemning and punishing Jesus, and thought that he 
had thus found a ready means of doing so. 

1057. Pilate eagerly caught at the fact that Jesus was a Galilean, and conse- 
quently a subject of Herod's. The Eoman law strictly prohibited a man's being 
tried or punished by any other than his proper ruler. 

1058. Why did Serod mocTc Jesus ? 

Because, so far from regarding him as a character dangerous 
to the state, or likely to subvert it, he mistook our Lord's 
meekness for imbecilit}''. 

1059. This very meekness, however, had been pointed out by the prophets in 
that well-known passage, " He was led as a sheep to the slaughter ; and as a lamb 
is dumb before its shearer, so opened he not his mouth." 

1060. Why did Pilate, 'partly against Jus own inclination, 
condemn Jesus to death ? 

Because he was actuated by a motive of self-preservation, 
being afraid as much of a rebellion of the Jews, incited by their 
priests, as of their representing him to Csesar as one disaffected 
to the imperial rule. 

1061. JVhy did the act of sending Jesus to Herod have the 
effect of reconciling the latter with Pilate ? 

Because Herod took it as a compliment on the part of Pilate, 
and was greatly pleased that the Eoman governor should respect 
his (Herod's) territorial prerogatives. 

1062. There were special reasons why Herod should be pleased with the conduct 
of Pilate. The former, a weak but ambitious prince, stood then greatly in need of 
the countenance of the powerful Eoman soldier. His guilty connection with 
Herodias had involved bira in a network of intrigues and plots laid for his destruc- 
tion. Moreover, urged on by Herodias, he aimed at an extension of his territorial 
power. Some time after these events he was induced to visit Rome, and to solicit 
from the Emperor Caligula the title of King of Judea. Doubtless he felt the im- 
portance of securing the friendship of Pilate, and tbis may have been at the root of 
the motives which induced the reconciliation. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 229 



A.C. 33.— The Carriage of the Cross. 

1063. Why was the murderer Sarahhas released ? 

Without any sanction on the part of the law, it had grown 
customary for the governor to release a prisoner at the Feast of 
the Passover. Pilate, in his conviction of the innocence of Jesup, 
wished to throw his death on others, and, therefore, gave the 
people the option of the life of Barabbas or that of Christ. 

103i. Instigated by the priests and their own vile passions, they saved the mur- 
derer, and demanded the execution of our Lord. Should it be worth asking. Who 
was Barabbas ? it may be sufficient to say that he formed one of a class of bravos, or 
dagger-men, who, availing themselves of the unsettled state of Judea, lived under 
the name of Sicarii, in a st^te of guerilla warfare, which they carried on under 
various pretexts, both against the Komans and their own countrymen. 

1065. Why is Jesus Christ represented hy Si. Matthew as 
carrying his oivn cross, tohile St. John describes its carriage hy 
one Simon, a man of Cyrene ? 

Because of the different nature of the accounts received 
of these facts by the two evangelists. The former repre- 
sents what took place at the commencement of this dolo- 
rous procession, when the cross was undoubtedly laid upon 
Jesus. The latter relates what he saw, when Jesus having 
fallen more than once beneath its load, the man of Cyrene was 
impressed by the guard and made to »ssist in the carriage cf 
the cross. 

1036. St. Luke says (xxiii. 26), "They laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, 
coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after 
Jesus." Whether it was that they made Simon carry the whole cross, or whether 
he only bore it up behind is not expressed. 

1067. WJiy did our Lord hid the pious icomen toho folloived 
him on his loay to Calvary rveeping, " to weep for themselves 
and for their children" ? 

Because he foresaw that within the lifetime of many of them 
those dreadful events would come to pass connected with the 
siege and destruction of Jerusalem. 

106S. Christians are not forbidden by this text to weep in compassion for the 
sufferings of Christ ; but they are not to let those sufferings cause them to forget 
the end for which they were undertaken, namely the salvation of human souls, — 
(Calmet.) 



230 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



A.C, 33.— The Crucifixion. 



1069. Why teas the mount, or mound, of Calvary so 
designated ? 

Because the Latin word Calvaria (in English Calvary, in 
Greek Kranion, and in Hebrew Golgotha) signified " the place 




THE CRUCIFIXIOir. 

of a skull " ; and the spot was marked by the frequent presence 
of that sign and emblem of the many malefactors who had 
been decapitated there. (Upon this see also par. 1111.) 

1070. Why was Jesus Christ crucified at Mount Calvary? 
Because that was the common place of execution, and was 

adjacent to the city. 

1071. According to an old tradition preserved by, among others, tke venerable 
Bede, this spot was the very one wherein Adam had been interred ; the foot of the cross 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 231 



A.C. 33.— The Humiliation of Jesus. 



resting exactly upon the skull of the first man, or upon the portion of earth 
which had replaced it. 

1072. WJiy did our Lord suffer death hy crucijixion and 
not hy any of the modes usual among the Jews ? 

Because his deatli, although brought about by the urgent 
and riotous soUcitations of the Jews, was really the act of 
their Roman masters. 

1073. •' The cross," says Jahn, " was the punishment inflicted by the Eomans 
on servants who had perpetrated crimes, on robbers, assassins, and rebels, 
among which last Jesus was reckoned, on the ground of his making himself king 
or jMessiah. 

The words in which the sentence was given were as follows : — " Thou shalt 
go to the cross." The person who was subjected to this punishment was deprived of 
aU his clothes, excepting something around the loins. In this state of nudity he 
was beaten with rods, but more generally with whips. Such was the severity of this 
flagellation that numbers died under it. Jesus was cijpwned with thorns and made 
the subject of mockery, but nothing of this kind could be legally done ; or in other 
words, insults of this kind were not among the ordinary attendants of crucifixion. 
They were owing, in this case, merely to the petulant spirit of the Koman 
oliiers." 

1074. Why did. our Saviour submit to these extra degradations 
which he could, as God, have jprevented ? 

Because he chose to set an example to his disciples and future 
followers, of an entire and perfect abnegation. 

1075. The criminal having been beaten was subjected to the further suiFering of 
being obliged to carry the cross himself to the place of punishment, which was 
commonly a hiU near the public way, and out of the city. The place of execution 
at Jerusalem was a hill to the north-west of the city. The cross or post, otherwise 
called the toipropitious, or infamous tree, consisted of a piece of wood erected 
perpendicularly, and intersected by another at right angles, near the top, so as 
somewhat to resemble the letter J. The crime for which the person suffered was 
inscribed on the transverse piece near the top of the perpendicular one. 

There is no mention made in ancient vaiters of anjiihing on which the feet of 
the person crucified rested. 2s"ear the middle, however, of the perpendicular beam 
there projected a piece of wood on which he sat, and which answered as a support 
to the body, since its weight might otherwise have torn away the hands from the 
nails driven through them. The cross which was erected at the place of punishment, 
being there firmly fixed in the ground, rarely exceeded ten feet in height. The 
victim, perfectly naked, was elevated to the small projection in the middle, the 
hands were then bomid by a rope round the transverse beam, and nailed through 
the pahn.* 



* The above is Jahn's account of the ordinary mode of procedure ; others say 
that the cross being laid upon the ground the victim was stretched upon and 



232 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 33.— Circumstances attendant upon Death by Crucifixion. 

The position wMcli is taken by some, viz., that the persons who suffered 
crucifixion were not in some instances fastened to the cross by nails, but were 
merely bound to it by ropes, cannot be proved by the testimony of any ancient 
writer whatever. That the feet as well as the hands were fastened to the cross by 
means of naUs, is expressly stated in the play of Piautus, entitled " Mostellaria," 
Act ii. Sc. 1. 12. In regard to the nailing of the feet, it may be furthermore 
observed that Gregory Nazianzen has asserted that one nail only was driven 
throughbothof them,but Cyprian (*'De Passione"), who had been a personal witness 
to crucifixions, and is consequently in this case the better authority, states on the 
contrary, that two nails or spikes were driven, one through each foot. Crucifixion 
was not only the most ignominious, it was likewise the most cruel of punishments. 
So much sn, that Cicero exclaims, "Away with the very thought of it from the 
minds of men ! " — (In Verrem, V. Gi et 66.) 

1076. W/iT/ loas crucifixion the most ^painful as loell as t/ie 
most ignominious of cleatJis ? 

Because it was tke most lingering ; the victims frequently 
surviving till the third day, and then dying of mere ex- 
haustion. 

1077. No wounds are more painful than those inflicted in crucifixion. They 
are at once what surgeons term punctured, lacerated, and contused, which are the 
three most serious varieties of that species of injury. Independently of the grave 
nature of the wounds themselves, their danger is much increased when they occur 
in such parts as the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot, in which bones, 
fasciiE, tendons, and their sheaths, predominate ; tissues which, when so injured, 
reflect the mischief into the constitution immediately and most violently, giving rise 
to unmanageable travimatic fever. In many very sensitive constitutions, the 
immediate shock of the act of crucifixion itself would hardly be rallied from. If 
however, the victim should have sufficient constitutional power to support reaction, 
the intense agony produced by the weight of the body suspended on the raw parts 
in contact with the nails in the hands, and by the inflammatory swelling of the 
palmar and plantar tissues pressing against the unyielding iron, and the position of 
the body, is one of the principal agents in the production of that exhaustion which 
terminates the frightful scene. 

If the sufferer lived many hours, the injured parts after idcerating wovdd 
become gangrenous ; great general depression of the vital powers would at once come 
on, with hiccough and cold sweats ; the circiilation would be hurried and feeble ; 
the breathing short and frequent ; and the patient would rapidly sink, the feehng 
of pain being lessened, but the sense of anxiety and prostration augmented 
towards the last. — (Dr. Dorrington in " People's Bible Dictionary.") 



fastened to it. When this had been done, the lower end was placed near the 
hole or socket prepared for it, and the cross, with its fearful burden, drawn up 
by a rope and puUeys. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 233 



A.C. 33.- The Title iipon the Cross. 

1078. Why tvas the cross of Jesus Christ placed in the midst, 
hetii'een those of the two rohhey^'s ? 

As an additional mark of disgrace, to show that in the 
opinion of his executioners he was the greatest malefactor of 
the three. 

1079. Why does St. Matthew say (xxvii. 34) that both the 
robbers blasphemed, while the other evangelists speaJc of only 
one of them doing so ? 

At first both reproached our Saviour, but upon witnessing 
the awful prodigies incidental to the crucifixion, one of them 
was converted and craved forgiveness. 

1080. Why tvas the death of our Saviour by crucifixion as 
degrading to the Jeivs as it was ignominious to the person 
icho endured it? 

Because as not being a Hebrew punishment, but essentially 
a Homan one, it marked most clearly the entire subjugation — 
morally and materially — of the Je'n ish people to the yoke of 
their Gentile conquerors. 

lOSl. The punishment continued in use no longer than the reign of Constantine, 
when it was abolished by the influence of the Christian religion. Examples of it are 
found in the early part of that emperor's reign, but the reverence which at a later 
period he was led to feel for the cross induced liim to put an end to the practice. 
Such was a worthy effect of the cross, which is the symbol of the largest 
philanthropy and the truest love. 

1082. Why toas the title or inscription set over the cross 

^^)J )j 

iVHSilA^AH 

POnTION OP THE TITtr., OB TITULTJS, OTKE THE CROSS, 



234 THE BIliLICAL REASON WHY, 



A.C. 33.— The Title upon the Cross. 

loriiten in tJiree languages, namely, in Hebrew, GreeJc, and 
Latin ? 

Becaus3 people of all languages liad been collected at 
Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and according to the 
Eoman law it was necessary that the cause of death should 
be set forth intelligibly to all passers-by. 

1083. The tablet or tltuhis bearing this inscription is said to have been found by 
Helen (called St. Helen), mother of Constantine the Great, and by her conveyed to 
Rome, where it was preserved in the church of the Holy Cross ; and at length, in 
1492, to have been anew brought to light, being found in the vaulted roof of the 
same church while it was undergoing repairs. From the annexed cut, which is a 
fac-simile of a part of this title, it will be observed that the words, conformably to 
a'ic!ent custom in Judea, are read from right to left. The inscription corresponds 
with the statement of St. John, presenting traces of the Hebrew first, then the 
Greek, and then the Latin. The Hebrew is the least, the Latin the most distinct. 
The last presents in full the word NAZAEENUS — "the Nazarene" — with two 
letters, apparently R and E, which with X, would make EEX, or king ; so that, as 
St. John states, the title thus appears to have run, " Jesus of Nazareth, King of the 
Jews," and, consequently, contained the scoffing implication that Jesus had suffered 
death for high treason against the Eoman sovereignty. 

1034. Why did Pilate refuse the reqiiest of the Jews to 
alter the title " Jesus of ]N"azaeeth, King of the Jews," 
lohich he had set up over the cross ? 

Because he was exasperated with them for their iiiipor- 
tunity and obstinacy in forcing him against his own sense of 
justice to put Jesus to death. 

1085. Nothing could be more ignominious to the Jews than to behold one of 
their nation, and evidently a strict observer of the law, put to death because he was 
their king, and they did not wish him to reign over them. Their very violence caused 
them to overreach themselves. Had they been more moderate, Pilate would have 
gratified them, as he had every wish to do, consistent with his self-respect. 

1086. TFhy did the soldiers divide among t/iem the 
garments of Jesus ? 

As a greater mark of ignominy ; such a course being per- 
mitted only in the cases of the vilest and most worthless of 
malefactors — with men who possessed nothing more than 
their garments. 

1087. In order to be spared this last insult, it was usual for the friends of the 
criminal to pay a trifle to the executioners. That our Lord suffered himself to be 
thus humbled—, hat he permitted his disciples and " brethren" to be driven from 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WH\. 235 

A.C. 33.— The Penitent Thief Pardoned. 

him, whether through their own fears or otherwise, was consistent with that 
mysterious love of suffering and humiliation, which commenced at Nazareth, and was 
exhibited throughout his whole earthly career. Of course this division of Christ's 
garment was another proof from prophecy of the identity of Jesus as the Messiah. 
" The dress of the Arabs in this part of the Holy Land, and, indeed, throughout 
all Syria, is simple and uniform ; it consists of a blue shirt, descending below the 
knees, the legs and feet being exposed, or the latter being sometimes covered with 
the ancient cothurnus or heavy buskin. A cloak is worn of coarse and heavy 
cainel's-hair cloth, almost universally decorated with broad black and white stripes, 
passing vertically down the back ; this is of one square piece, with holes for the 
arms ; it has a seam down the back ; made without this seam it is considered of 
greater value. Here then we behold, perhaps, the form and materials of our 
Saviour's garment for which the soldiers cast lots, being * without seam, woven from 
the top throughout.' It was the most ancient dress of the inhabitants of the 
country." — (Clarke's Travels.) 

1088. Why did Jesus promise the penitent thief that he 
should that day he with him in paradise, when it is certain 
that our Lord did not for some time afterwards ascend into 
heaven ? 

Because he was pleased, in reward for tlie faitli and testi- 
mony of that poor criminal, exhibited under such astonishing 
circumstances, to grant him a full pardon of his sins, both as 
to their guilt and punishment ; and by a special privilege to 
admit him immediately after death to the company of the 
saints, which company, or the place where it was assembled, 
was made paradise by the presence of Christ. 

10S9. Eespecting this visit of the soul of Christ to the place of abode of the 
saints of the old law, see 1 Peter iii. 19. 

1090. Why did our Saviour shortly before his death upon 
the cross address his mother, and commend her to the care of 
St. John ? (John xix. 26.) 

St. Chrysostom answers this question thus: — "Though 
there were other holy women standing by the cross, Jesus 
Christ takes notice of none but his mother, teaching us by 
this what we owe to our parents, and that we are not to fail 
in our love to them even in our extremity." — (Hom. 84. in 
Joannem.) 

1091. History informs us what we might naturally suppose to have been the 
ease, that the Holy Yirgin went to the ' ' house " of St. John (John xix. 27) , and for tha 
remainder of her earthly life lived under his roof. This is said to have been in the 
vicinity of Mount Carmel. 



236 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 33.— The Vinegar and Gall Offered. 

1092. 'W^hy did the Jews, in offering ^'vinegar mingled 
with gall " to Jesus upon the cross, place it upon a stick of 
hyssop ? 

Because the day, being a high day — the eve of a groat 
Sabbath — they thought thus to escape defilement. 

1093. The fact of the Jews being upon the field of execution exposed them to 
probable defilement. In the Mosaical law the hyssop was largely used iu purifi- 
cations. See Exod. xii. 23, where a bunch of hyssop is directed to be dipped iu 
blood and struck on the lintels and the two side-posts of the doors of the houses in 
which the Israelites resided. Also, Lev. xiv. 4, 6, 52, in the ease of the cleansing of 
lepers; and Num. xix. 6, 18, in preparing the waters of separation. By placing the 
beverage upon the long, reed-like hyssop, they concluded that thus they avoided 
actual contact with the suffering and almost expiring body of our Saviour. 

1094. Why did our Lord refuse the vinegar mingled with 
gall lohich loas offered to him upon the cross? 

Because he would by that last act of self-denial consum- 
mate the sacrifice of himself to the offended majesty of 
heaven. 

1095. The Jews in the times under consideration, while they were under the 
jurisdiction of the Eomans, were'in the habit of giving the criminal, before the 
commencement of his sufferings, a medicated drink of wine and myrrh. The object 
of this was to produce intoxication, and thereby render the pains of crucifixion less 
sensible to the sufferer. This beverage was refused by our Saviour for another 
reason than that stated above. He chose to die with the faculties of his mind 
undisturbed and unclouded. It should be remarked that this sort of drink, which 
was probably offered out of kindness, was different from the vinegar which was 
subsequently offered to our Saviour by the Koman soldiers. 

1093. Why is the period of our Lord's siffering upon ihe 
cross, tvhich tve know was from tivelve at noon till three in the 
afernoon, called, ^^from the sixth to the ninth liour" ? 

Because in the Jewish horology the day was reckoned 
from sunrise to sunset, the former period being called the 
first hour, and the latter the twelfth ; at the equinox the 
first hour answered to our seven o'clock a.m. ; and our twelfth 
or noontide to their sixth. Thus from twelve to three was, 
in the phraseology of that day and season, from the sixth to 
the ninth hour. 

1097. Why did Jesus Christ, at the moment of his death 
upon the cross, cry out *' with a loud voice''? 

In this our Redeemer confirms what, he liad said to Pilate. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX Vy-^Y. *i37 



A.C. 33.— The Deatli of Jesus Christ upon the Cross. 

'' I haoe j>ower to lay doivn my life, and I have i^ower to take 
it up again;" for he cried with, a loud voice, and at tke 
very hour of the evening sacrifice, to show that it was the 
effect of his own will that he died. — (St. John Chrysostom, 
Horn. 89.) 

1098. The centurion mentioned by St. Mark (iv. 39) was so convinced that, 
[lumanly considered, no suiferer upon the cross at such a moment could cry out 
with a loud voice, that he was at once made to believe in the supernatural character 
of Jesus, and exclaimed, "Truly this man was the Son of God." This centurion, 
according to St. Chrysostom, was afterwards a martyr for Christ. 

1099. Why was it that our Saviour survived so short a time 
after his being nailed to the cross ? 

Because, physically speaking, of the extremely exhausted 
state in which his highly-impressible nervous system must have 
been at the time of his crucifixion. 

1100. " It is impossible for us," says Dr. Dorrington, " at all to appreciate 
the depressing and exhausting effects of the mental agony with which the 
Saviour of the world contemplated the awful terminatior of his earthly career— 
an agony of which we have seen such evidence in the garden of Gethsemane the 
previous evening, and in his last ciyupon the cross. Great demands were made upon 
hi3 bodily and mental energies during the last days of his life — the total loss of that 
rest so necessary to nerve the body the night before his trial — tlie cruelties and 
outrages that preceded the crucifixion, and his utter separation from the expression 
of all human sympathy and encouragement after his capture — aU actin:? upon a 
nervous system the most finely tempered and acutely sensitive the world ever saw 
would necessarily leave him in a state of prostration incap ible of long bearing 
the mortal agonies of the cross." 

1101. IVhy did not the soldiers, as was the usual custom, 
hreah the legs of Jesus Christ as he hung upon the cross / 

1. Because there was no necessity for it, he being already 
dead. 2. Because they were withheld by the hand of G-od 
from doing so, it having been prophesied that '•' not a bone of 
him shall be broken." (Exod. xii. 43.) 

1102. Although the passage in Exodus applied to the treatment of the paschal 
latnb, its reference to this particular circumstance in our Lord's passion is declared 
by the evaagelist, who emphaticully states that it was done, or omitted to be done, 
iu order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. Ordinarily the crucified person 
remained suspended upon the cross till he died, and the corpse had become putrid: 



238 THE BlilLlCAL EEASC N WHY. 



A.C. 33 —The Flowing of the Water and the Blood. 



while he exhibited any signs of life he was watched by a guard, but they left him 
when it appeared that he was dead. An exception, however, to this general 
practice was made by the Komans in favour of the Jews, whose laws prescribed the 
interment of criminals before the next dawn ; and in Judea accordingly cruciiied 
persons were buried on the same day. When, therefore, there was not a prospect 
that they would die on the day of crucifixion, the executioners hastened tho 
extinction of life, sometimes by kindling a fire under the cross so as to suffocate 
them with the smoke, at others by letting loose wild beasts upon them, or by 
breaking their bones upon the cross with a mallet, as upon an anvil, or by 
piercing them with a spear, in order that they might be at once buried." — (Jahn.) 

1103. IVJiy did the soldier ^pierce our Lord's side with a 
spear ? 

Because that was the most effectual way to ascertain 
whether tlie victim had expired or was still alive. 

1104. Besides the mystical meaning of the act which followed, namely, the 
flowing out of blood and water, which typified the sacraments of Baptism and the 
Lord's Supper, the piercing of the side of Jesus is a very important part in the 
history of the crucifixion, inasmuch as the circumstances attending it preclude the 
possibility of his having been removed from the cross before death, and, therefore, 
of his having been resuscitated — a rationalistic mode of explaining the resurrection. 
Modern pathologists have observed facts which go to prove that the flowing out of 
blood and water from the side was a natural occurrence under the circumstances, 
and that it could have taken place only in the case of a subject already some 
time dead. 

1105. Why is the fact of the flowing of the hlood and 
loater from the wound in our Saviour s side related only hy 
St. John? 

Because he was the only evangelist who actually witnessed 
the death of Jesus Christ, and this was a circumstance of 
which only an eye-witness would have taken notice. 

1106. "This is just such a circumstance," says the eminent medical authority 
whom we have before quoted, " as, from not being necessary to the general truth 
of the story, might easily be omitted from gospels proceeding from persons who did 
not behold the crucifixion; while it is just the kind of event that an eye-mtness 
like John, who seems to have hung about the cross of his Master with touching 
fidelity, would note at the time, and commit to writing afterwards. This difference 
between the synoptical and John's gospel is so accordant with our general expe- 
rience of the manner in which historical narratives of the same event come to 
diff"er, as to afford the most satisfactory kind of testimony to those who 
understand the general nature of historical evidence.' 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 239 



A.C. 33. — Prodigies following thereupon. 



1107. Why was the veil of the temple rent in tioain at the 
moment of our Lord's death ? 

1. Because at that moment, by the very fact of the Lord's 
death, the old dispensation was done away with, the temple, 
with its ceremonial worship, now being rendered useless, and 
being superseded by the new law and testament. 2. As a 
natural result of the earthquake which ensued, when the God 
of nature yielded up his human existence for the sins of 
mankind. 

1103. "About one yard and a half distance from the hole in which i he foot of 
the cross was fixed, is seen that memorable cleft in the rock made by the earth- 
quake which happened at the sufiering of Jesus Christ, when the rocks rent and 
the very graves were opened. This cleft, as to what now appears of it, is about a 
span wide at its upper part and two deep, after which it closes ; but it opens again 
below, as you may see in another chapel contiguous to the side of Calvary, and runs 
down to an unknown depth in the earth. That this rent was made by the earth- 
quake that happened at our Lord's passion, there is only tradition to prove ; but 
that itis a natural and genuine breach, and not countei'feited by any art, the sense 
and reason of every one that sees it may convince him, for the sides of it fit like 
two tallies to each other; and yet it runs in such intricate windings as could not be 
iveU counterfeited by art, nor arrived at by any instruments," — (MaundreU's 
"Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem.") 

"The far end of this chapel, called the chapel of St. John, is confined ^vith the 
foot of Calvary, where, on the left side of the altar, there is a cleft in the rock. The 
insides do testify that art had no hand therein, each side to the other being answer- 
ably rugged ; and these were inaccessible to the workmen. That before spoken of, 
lu the chapel below, is a part of this which reaches, as they say, to the centre." — 
(Sandy's Travels.) 

As there were in the temple two parts of the sanctuary, so there were two veils, 
or partition walls. The first sanctuary, called the holy, was separated by a veil from 
that part of the temple called the court of the Israelites. Into this outward 
sanctuary, called "holy," the priests that were in office entered every day. The 
•second interior sanctuary, called the holy of holies, was also separated from the 
outward sanctuary by another veil. Both these veils seem to have been rent at 
Christ's death; and by their being broken down was signified first that the 
ceremonies of the ancient law were to be abolished by the law of Chrir-t, and 
also that heaven should be open to all. 

1109. Why were the graves opened as one of the effects of the 
earthquaJce which ensued upon our Lord's death ? 

1. Because supernaturally the death of Christ was the cause 
of the opening of the prison-doors of the grave, he being " the 
first-fruits of them that slept," and the one only means by 
which the dead could rise again to immortal life. 2. Becau.'se 



240 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

A.C. 33.— The Site of the Crucifixion. 

naturally, the tombs being generally excavated in the face of the 
rocks, and enclosed like cupboards with a door, standing per- 
pendicularly, the shock of an earthquake would, as one of its 
first effects, throw open such doors. 

1110. These doors were fastened with a large and broad stone rolled against 
them. It was at the shutting up of the sepulchre with this stone that 
mourning began, and after it was thus shut it was not lawful to open it. 

1111. Why loas the site of the crucifixion called " Golgotha,'' 
or the place of the skull ? 

Because, according to Eastern travellers, and especially 
Buckingham, it was a mound, or nodule of earth, rese-^bling in 
form a human skull. 

1112. It has been thought that "place of a skuU," or "the skull," meant n 
place of execution, or a place ordinarily appropriated to executions. But the aliovo 
'.vriter says, " had that been the case there would have been no need to specify it so 
particularly. It would have been mentioned simply as Golgotha, or the Golgotha. 
Each of the evangelists, however, speak of it as a place that required pointing out 
— as an exceptional spot, in fact. It was formerly without the cify, on its north- 
west side ; but is now included within the walls which have in later ages been built 
up by its moi-e recent possessors." 

The history of the discovery and identification of Golgotha, or Mount Calvary 
is very interesting. The following is abridged from Dr. Kitto : — 

The memory of distinguished places is among the least perishable of earthly 
things. Thei'mopylas and Runnymede are yet, and will ever be known. With how 
much more reason Calvarj' ! At the first there were, not only in Jerusalem and 
Palestine, but in all parts of the earth, bosoms which had found for it a shrine. 
Fathers would convey their knowledge and their impressions to sons ; one generation 
and one church to another ; and thus from age to age there would be a regular 
transmission of the essential facts of the case ; till at length the tradition became 
fixed in history, and a splendid edifice was raised in commemoration of the great 
events which rendered Golgotha the most remarkable spot on the whole earth- 
After the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans it became a heathen city. Statues 
and temples to Jupiter were erected, and upon Calvary itself a fane dedicated to 
Venus was set up. This was done both from contempt of the Christians, and policy 
towards the conquered Jews. The heathens thought that by thus insulting the 
memory of Jesus they should conciliate his executioners. However that might be, 
the act served to determine the situation of Calvary. With the final destruction of 
Jerusalem by Titus, a.d. 70, both Jews and Christians were driven from the holy 
places. But now commenced the long series of pilgrimages from distant places to 
t]ie Holy Land, which have continued even to the present hour * Eusebius (a.ij. 
315) infoi-ms us that Christians visited Jerusalem from all regions of the earth, for 
the object of paying respect to the scenes of our Lord's sufferings and death. 

* There is at present (1859) in London, a gentleman — a Mr. Wigley— whose 
itutus is "Guide cvd cicerone in pilgrimages to Palestine, etc," 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 241 



A.C. 33.— The Burial Place of Jesus Christ. 



Early in the fourth century Eusebius and Jerome write down the tradition, and 
fix the locality in their works, We now come to the testimony of the Emperor Con- 
stautine, and his mother Helena (St. Helen). The latter when vei*y far advanced in 
life visited Jerusalem, for the express purpose of erecting a church on the sx^ot 
where the Lord Jesus had been crucified. She had previously learned that the holy 
places had been heaped up and concealed by the heathen, and she resolved to attempt 
to briug them to light. On her arrival at Jerusalem she inquired diligently of the 
inhabitants. Yet the search was uncertain and difficult, in consequence of the 
obstructions by which the heathen had sought to render the spot unknown. These 
being all removed, the sacred sepulchre was discovered, and by its side three crosses 
with the tablet bearing the inscription written by Pilate. On the site thus ascer- 
tained was erected, whether by Constantino, or by Helena, certainly by Eoman 
influence and treasure, a splendid and extensive Christian temple. Socrates, the 
ecclesiastical historian, says, " the emperor's mother erected over the place where 
the sepulchre was, a most magnificent church, and called it New Jerusalem, building 
it opposite to that old deserted Jerusalem." This church was completed and dedi- 
cated, A.D. 335. It was a great occasion for the whole Christian world. After a lapse of 
two centuries and a half, this church of the Holy Sepulchre was burnt by the Per- 
sians (a.d. 614). It was shortly afterwards rebuilt by Modestus, with resources 
supplied by John Eleemor, patriarch of Alexandria. The Basilica, or Martyrion, 
erected under Constantine, remained as before. The Mahometans next became 
masters of Jerusalem. At length Hamn-al-Eashid made over to Charlemagne the 
jurisdiction of the Holy Sepulchre. Palestine again became the scene of battles and' 
bloodshed. Muez, of the Fatimites, transferred the seat of his empire to Cairo, 
when Jerusalem fell into the hands of new masters, and the Holy Sepulchre is said 
to have been again set on fire. It was fully destroyed at the command of the third 
of the Fatimite kahfs in Egypt, the building being razed to its foundations. In the 
reign of his successor it was rebmlt, being completed a.d. 1048; but instead of its 
former magnificent Basihca over the place of Golgotha, a small chapel only now 
graced the spot. 

The Crusades soon began. The crusaders regarded the edifices connected with 
the sepulchre as too contracted, and erected a stately temple, the walls and general 
form of which are admitted to remain to the present day. So recently, however, as 
A.D. 1808, the church of the Holy Sepulchre was partly consumed by fire; but 
being rebuilt by the Greeks, it now offers no traces of its recent desolation.* 

1113. Who was Joseph of Arimathea ? 

He was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrim, and secretly a 
disciple of Jesus, but who did not consent to the judgment of 
that tribunal, which condemned our Lord to be crucified. 

1114. Arimathea, the place of this disciple's birth, lay in the territory of Ben- 
jamin, on the mountain range of Ephraim, at a short distance south of Jerusalem, 
and near to Gibeah. Joseph is described by St. Luke as a good man and just, and it 
is probable that this, his character among aH parties of the Jews, preserved him from 



Kitto's " Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature." 

12 



242 THE BIBLICAL KEASON KJIY. 

A,C. 33.— The Burial of Jesus Christ. 

their enmity, when in conjunction with ISTicodemus he went to Pilate, and besought 
the body of Jesns, in order to its honourable interment in his own sepulchre. 
Tradition represents Joseph of Arimathea as among the earliest propagators of the 
gospel in the west. He is said to have landed in Britain, and to have preached to 
our ancestors. 

1115. TF/i^ teas the permission of Pilate necessary/ before the 
body of Jesus could be removed from the cross for interment ? 

Because, by the Roman law, the bodies of crucified persons 
were disentitled to burial, and were generally left upon the 
cross, until devoured by birds of prey or prowling beasts. 

1116. It has been already stated that the Jews had the privilege, generally, of 
interring the bodies of crucified persons ; it is probable that the friends of Jesus 
might fear that in his case a special permission would be necessary. 

1117. TThy is it stated of the neio sepulchre wherein Joseph 
of Arimathea interred the body of Jesus, that no man had yet 
been laid therein? (John xix. 41.) 

1. Because thereby all doubt might be removed that it was 
Jesus himself who arose from the dead on the third day, and 
not some other person who had been placed there ; or that he 
arose by the virtue of some other body reposing there. 

1118. As was the ease with the person who was being buried in the tomb of 
Elisha ; which circumstance is thus related in 2 Kings xiii. 20: — 

"And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites 
invaded the land at the coming in of the year. 

"And it came to pass as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band 
of men ; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha : and when the man 
was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood upon his 
feet." 

2. Because the awful sanctity of the body of Jesus demanded 
the exclusive possession of a new sepulchre ; he being perfectly 
free from any, even the slightest, element of corruption. 

To have placed the sacred body of our Lord in a tomb previously used, would 
seem to be something utterly repugnant to our feelings as Christians. This was, in 
all probabUity, the sentiment of the disciple, and hence the result. 

1119. Why did the Jews make the request to 'Pilate that he 
tvould set a guard of soldiers over the tomb of Jesus ? 

Because, notwithstanding their affected dread lest the 
apostles — paralyzed with fear, and hiding themselves "in an 
upper room " — should come by night and steal him away, they 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 243 



A.C. 33.— End of Pilate. 



had some real apprehensions that, after all, he might be able to 
raise himself to life again, as he had predicted. 

1120. The -wonderful prodigies -which, occurred at the moment of Christ's death 
might -well cause such misgi-rings, and -were the very natural preludes to such a 
l^henomenon. But the Jews, in adopting this foolish precaution, again outwitted 
themselves ; for they thus subpoenaed, as it -were, a set of most disinterested ^^itnesses 
of the resurrection. The guard ordered by Pilate, in compliance -with the request of 
the .Je-ws on this occasion, is sujpposed to have been the company of Roman soldiers 
destined for the protection of the temple. Aqmnas exclaims, " See ho-w, beyond 
the possibility of contradiction, these precautions prove the reality of Chi-ist's resur- 
rection, and how the inveterate enemies of Cl-a-ist become unwilling -witnesses of it ; 
fur since the sepulchre -was guarded, there was no possibility of any deceit on the part 
of the disciples. ]S"ow if the least deceit was utterly impracticable, then, indeed, is 
Christ our Lord infalhbly risen ; and to remove even the least possibility of deceit, 
Pilate -would not let the soldiers alone seal the monument — the Je-ws assist thereat, 
sealing the stone at its entrance -with the public seal " 

1121. What was the end of Tilate ? 

The circumstances attendant upon the removal of Pilate 
from his government of Judea are thus collected by Jahn 
in his " Hebrew Commonwealth " : — 

1122. "An impostor, or false [Messiah, made his appearance soon after this in 
Samaria (it was about a.c. 35 — the year that St. Stephen -was stoned) and under pre- 
tence of digging up the sacred vessels of Moses, which -were supposed to have been 
buried in mount Gerizim, collected a body of armed men. A great number assembled 
at Tirabatha, in order to go to mount Gerizim ; but Pilate, -with a body of horse and 
foot, intercepted their march, slew the greater part of the deluded multitude in the 
first attack, and dispersed the rest. A few were taken prisoners, and put to death 
at the command of Pilate. Upon which the Samaritans sent an embassy to ViteUius, 
proconsxil of Syria, and complained of the violence of Pilate. TiteUius, thereupon, 
A.c. 37, sent MarceUus to Judea, to assume the office of procurator, and ordered 
Pilate to Eome to answer the accusations brought against him. Caius Caligula, who 
succeeded Tiberius in the government, a.c. 37 or 3S, banished Pilate to Tienne in 
Gaul, where he is said to have committed suicide." 

1123. Uoio was the jproconsul of Syria enabled to supersede 
the procurator of Judea, as in the preceding account ? 

Ordinarily, the procurator was under the rule of the pro- 
consul. Judea forming part of the province of Syria, Pilate, as 
its procurator, was the subordinate officer of Vitellius, who held 
the proconsulship of the whole province. 

1124. Sometimes the procurators were invested -\vith a superior power against 
the proconsul ; but this was an exceptional case, and did not obtain in the instance 
of Pilate. — (Cavr'a " Manual of Roman Antiquities.") 



244 THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. . 

A.C. 33, — Eesurrection of Christ. 

1125. Why are the holy women represented as hringing, " on 
the first day of the weeJc," spices to the sepulchre, when the body 
of Jesus had already heen embalmed ? 

Because, although a large quantity of the embalming spices 
had been used by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 
xix. 39), it is probable that great haste and precipitation had 
been used by them, "for fear of the Jews." The devout Mag- 
dalene and her companions were anxious to rectify any defects 
which that haste might have caused. 

1126. Why does St. John speak of himself as *' the disciple 
whom Jesus loved'' and " that other disciple" ? (John xx. 2, 3.) 

From a motive of modesty, he not liking to mention his 
own name too frequently in the sacred narrative. 

1127. Why did the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 
take place on the first day of the week ? 

To mark the commencement of the new era, and to transfer 
the weekly rest, or " Sabbath," from the seventh to the first day. 

1128. God rested from the work of creation on the seventh day, *• and hallowed 
it." (Exod. XX.) Christ, having completed the work of redemption, rose from the 
tomb on the first day of the week, and hallowed it for all Christians. The time at 
which Jesus Christ ascended from the tomb was just at daybreak, or a little before 
it ; " very early in the morning." (Mark xvi. 2.) "In the end of the Sabbath, as 
it began to dawn." (Matt, xiviii. 1.) (See 1294.) 

1129. Wliy did the angel of the Lord descend from heaven, 
" and roll back the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre" ? 
(Matt.xxviii. 2.) 

Our Lord had risen from the tomb previous to the 
descent of the angel, and without rending it. The stone was 
removed for the purpose of affording to the holy women 
and other spectators an opportunity of entrance, and the 
necessary evidence that Christ was no longer there. 

1130. The appearance of the angel, whose "countenance was Uke lightning," 
and whose " raiment was white as snow," must have been truly appalling to the 
Koman guard. The soldiers, before whom the world had bent its knee, now 
shook like timid hares, "and became as dead men." And the angel answered 
and said unto the women (the soldiers were not worthy to be addressed by the 
heavenly messenger), "Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which 
was crucified. He is not here ; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place 
where the Lord lav," 



THE BIBLICAL EEASO]S WHY. 245 

A.C. 33. — His Appearance to Mary Magdalene. 

1131. IVliy did the angel say to the holy women, '' Se 
goeth hefore you into Galilee." (Matt, xxviii. 7.) 

Because the name of Galilee interpreted means transmi- 
gration or passage, and was significant of the Christian warfare. 

1132. Our Saviour, on the day of his resurrection, showed himself alive five 
different times :— 1. To Mary Magdalene ; 2. To the women leaving the sepulchre ; 3, 
To St. Peter; 4. To the two disciples going to Emmaus; 5. To the disciples assembled 
together when the two returned from Emmaus. And after the day of his resur- 
rection, before he ascended into heaven, he appeared five other times : — 1. After 
eight days, when Thomas was present ; 2. When the seven disciples were fishing 
on the sea of Tiberias ; 3. To the eleven on Mount Tabor ; 4. In Jerusalem on the 
day of the ascension ; and 5. On the same day on Mount Olivet, when he was taken 
from them. 

1133. WJiy is particular mention made of the linen clothes 
lying? (John xx. 5.) 

Because that, according to St. Chrysostom, was of itself a 
miracle. Christ's body having been buried with myrrh, the 
linen vrould adhere to it as firmly as pitch, so that it would 
be impossible to steal or take away the body without the 
linen cloth. 

1134. Wliy does St. John, still speaTcing ^ of himself as 
*''that other disciple," say that having loitnessed the miracle 
of the resurrection " Ae saw and believed" ? (John xx. 8.) 

Because he had not hitherto accepted the divine nature 
of our Lord to its full extent, which he now confessed him- 
self able to do. 

1135. Although the apostles had so often heard their master speak in the 
plainest terms of his resurrection, still, being so accustomed to parables, they did not 
understand him, and imagined something else was meant by these words. 

1136. Why did Mary Magdalene fail to recognize Jesus 
when she saw him, hut mistook him for the gardener ? 

Because she had present to her mind the image of Jesus 
suffering, bruised, and disfigured as it hung upon the cross, 
or was lying dead in the sepulchre, to which image the 
present appearance of her divine Lord bore very little re- 
semblance. 

1137. Magdalene, in grief and tears, knew not Jesus at first ; but no sooner does 
he address her than the well-known accents recall him at once to her mind. She 



246 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 



A.C. 33.— Portraii- of Jesus Christ. 

would now wish to kiss his feet, but he desires her first to go and bear the joyful 
message of his resurrection to his "brethren," i. c, the disciples and Peter (Mark 
xvi. 7.) Calmet thus paraphrases the words of Jesus Christ to Magdalene : — " I will 
not leave you again ; be not in a hurry to touch me ; you sDall all have this pleasure; 
I will remain with you some time before my ascension. Announce my resurrection 
to the apostles." 

1138. WTiy should the profile portrait of our Saviour sent 
hy Lentulus to Tiberias he regarded with respect as a highly \ 
frohahle likeness? 

Because, says the author of " The Truths of Religion 






POBTEAIT OF JESTTS CHEIST. 

D emonstrated by an Appeal to Existing Monuments, " we thini 
it by no means improbable that some of the early Jewish 
converts might be desirous to possess a memorial of their 
Lord in a medal which might bear an impress of his visage." 

1139, "And that such medals d-d exist there can be but little doubt, though both 
Celsus and Origen were ignorant of them. In these remote periods, even in the 
paintings and sculptures of Thebes, much more in those of Greece and Eome, their 
statues and pictures were correct likenesses, and were multiplied without reserve. 
Besides these, there was another source which might supply such a medal, altogether 
irrespective of the early Christians. Scarcely an event occurred of great moment 
that was not commemorated on a coin or medal. So remarkable a history of eveuts 
as those which occurred in Judea would not pass by, we may be sure, without some 
such commemoration. It is highly probable that the governor of Judea would send 
to Tiberias and the Roman senate a representation of the illustrious individual who 
was the Author of that " new religion" which, according to their own account, had 
'• turned the world upside down." Copies of several medals are given in the work 
above referred to, all bearing a strong resemblance to each other, and on one of 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 247 



A.C. 33.— The Disciples going to Ernmaus 



which the word Ifessias appears. Of one of them the author remarks : — " It is 
interesting to consider this medal in connection with the celebrated letter of Lentulus 
to Tiberias, with which description it entirely corresponds. In rejecting documents 
such as these we may be guilty of an unwarrantable scepticism. Tfe do not see tchi/ 
this should not have been taken ; lut we see many reasons to believe that such a repre- 
sentation of our Saviour might have been copied." — (Ibid.) 

Josephus, the Jewish historian and pharisee, gives the following account of our 
Lord's appearance and ministry : — " Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise 
man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a 
teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him 
both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when 
Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to 
the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him ; for he appeared 
to them alive again on the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these 
and many other wonderful things concerning him ; and the sect of Christians so 
named from him is not extinct at this day." — ("Antiquities," xviii. 3.) 

1140. Why did the chief priests give a large sum of money 
to the Roman guard to tell an absurd falsehood about the 
resurrection of Jesus ? (Matt, xxviii. 12, 13.) 

Because they were reduced, through their own opposition to 
the truth, to a state of judicial bhndness. 

1141. St. Augustine, upon the passage, "And they gave large money to 
the soldiers, saying. Say ye His disciples came by night and stole him away while we 
slepf — " O wretched craft ! dost thou shut thy eyes against the light of prudence 
and piety, and plunge thyself so deep in cunning as to say this ? Dost thou produce 
sleeping witnesses ? Certainly thou thyself sleepest that failest in making a true 
search after such things." 

The Jewish leaders were given over to believe a lie — and a lie too of their own 
making. The gospel adds : — " And this saying is commonly reported among the 
Jews until this day." (Matt, xxviii. 15.) 

1142. Who was Oleomas {mentioned Luke xxiv.) as one of 
the disciples going to JEmmaus, and to whom Jesus Christ 
appeared ? 

He was a citizen of Emmaus ; according to some, a brother of 
Joseph ; to others, the husband of Mary sister to the blessed 
Virgin ; and father of James the Less, 

1143. His house was afterwards changed into a church. Both Latins and 
Greeks keep the festival of St, Cleopas, He was martyred by the Jews.— 
(Calmet.) 

1144. Why is it said, in connection with the breaking of 



248 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

A.C. 33. — Grlorified Appearance of Jesus. 

hread, " and their eyes were opened and they Jcnew Mm" ? 
(Luke xxiv. 31.) 

Because they received tlirougli the " bread" — understood to 
signify the holy sacrament — a spiritual enlightenment, or a power 
of discerning that to which naturally they were blind. — (Calmet.) 

1145. That the "breaking of bread" meant simply partaking of a repast, is ren- 
dered impossible by the comment, supplied by the disciples themselves in Luke xxiv. 
32, 33. "And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us while he 
talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures ? 

" And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the 
eleven gathered together, and them that were vvdth them, 

" Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon. 

"And they told what things were done in the way, and how he tvas hnotvn of 
them in breaking of bread." 

1146. Why did Jesus Christ, after " hreaTcing hread" with 
Cleojpas and his companion, vanisJi out of their sight ? 

To show them that his glorified body was in no way subject 
to the laws of matter ; that as God he was superior to them. 

1147. For the same purpose Jesus Christ presented himself to the assembled 
apostles and disciples. They were terrified and affrighted because their minds had 
been wrought up to an extreme degree of sensibility. Their joy was of so intense akind 
that it was closely aUied to pain. He appeared "in the midst of them," but how .^ 
They saw no door opened or any aperture by which he could have naturally entered. 
Being doubtful whether they were looking upon a spectre or a real tangible person, 
Jesus, after breathing "Peace be unto you," showed them his wounded hands 
and feet. "And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered," to satisfy 
them that he was reaUy their own beloved Jesus, he asks for food, sits down with 
them and partakes as of old. 

1148. Why was St. TJiomas incredulous of the resurrection 
notwithstanding the united testimony of the apostles and 
disciples ? 

Because he thought the event too great for belief ; in 
ordinary language, too good to be true. 

1149. The absence of Thomas from the first meeting of Christ with his apostles 
may have been permitted in (Jrder to bring about the additional evidence which was 
furnished when he was finally convinced. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



249 



The Acts of the Apostles. 




CHAPTER X. 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 

PEEFATOKT KOTE.* 

With the "Acts of the Apostles" the third part of the Sacred Scriptures may be 
said to commence ; for whereas the Old Testament, or that portion -which contains 
an accoimt of the origin of the world, the work of creation, the giving of the law, 
and the history of the Jewish people, forms the first, and exhibits the work of the 
first person of the Di\Tne Trinity — God the Father ; the Gospels comprise the 
second part, or the work of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity — God the 
Son ; and are succeeded by the third, in the same way, so to speak, as the work of the 
Holy Ghost — the third Divine person — follows and completes those of the other two.' 

So apparent was this view to the ancient commentators and primitive Christians, 
that the book now called "The Acts of the Apostles," was formerly known as the 
Gospel of the Holy Ghost. 

But, as in the Divine Trinity consisting of three persons, there is but one and 
the same God (see Athanasian Creed prefixed to " The Common Prayer"), and as all 
their respective attributes must necessarily harmonize, so the three portions of the 
sacred volume will be fotind to harmonize most perfectly. What is intended here 
is to point out wherein the difierence exists between the spirit of the three main 
portions of the Bible thus divided. 

Characteristic of the First Fortiori, or Old Testament. 
This may be deduced from a consideration of that of God the Father as 
exhibited to us therein. Jehovah, in his relation to his creatures, is the God of 



* The above illustration, as well as some of the phraseology used in the note, 
has been taken fron Didron's Iconographie Chretienne, Bohn's Tr.mslation. 
12* 



250 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Prefatory Note on "The Acts.' 



omnipotence and streugtii. In the sacred history he is constantly described as 
exerting the divine attribute of power. The historical facts narrated in the Old 
Testament, seem to be created by the breath of his -will, and to unfold themselves 
under the power of his word. In the moral precepts of the ancient law, a spirit is 
heard, which is not that of love. " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
wisdom," says the Psalmist. "The /ear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom," says 
Solomon. If, with the help of a concordance of the Old Testament, we were to seek out 
all those texts in which fear is extolled, or God declared to punish men by fear and 
terror, we should be almost terrified at their number. Everything is condensed into 
the terror which the name of Jehovah alone ought to inspire. " Holy and terrible 
is his name." (Psa. cxi. 9.) 

Of the Second Fortion, the Gospels. 

There is a wide difference between the spirit of the Jewish religion, which makes 
us tremble before God like timid children before a severe father, and that of the 
Christian, every word of which breathes on man the caressing spirit of love. Be- 
tween Jehovah and Jesus Christ stretches an entire world. The one employs the 
constrictive power of severity, the other the expansive agency of hope and love. 
The hand of the ancient law is upraised to punish the slightest fault ; the new law is 
a mother weeping even while she reproves the errors of her children, and caressing 
while she reproaches them. " The Lord, let him be your fear, and let him be your 
dread," cried the prophet Isaiah (viii. 13). "Beloved, let us love one another," said 
the dying apostle, and in thus saying he repeated, perhaps for the thousandth time, 
the lesson he had learned when leaning on the heart of his divine Friend and Master. 
In fact, while Jehovah says, " Enter my house with fear," the whole moral teaching 
of Jesus is comprehended in the following words : — " Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, and with aU thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all 
thy mind ; and thy neighbour as thyself." (Luke 'x. 27.) 

Of the Third Portion, or the " Acts" and Hemaining Books. 

The power of the Father, softened towards his creatures by the interposition of 
the Son, joined to the love of the Son and his own attributes of wisdom and inteUi- 
geace, form a sufficient argument why this part of the Sacred Scriptures should have 
been sometimes called the Gospel of the Holy Ghost. As the Holy Ghost is the 
spirit of wisdom and intelligence, we are led to expect its manifestations in perusing 
the books in question, and such is the result. The power and sovereignty of God — 
the right he has to our full and unreserved homage, is enforced by the apostles as 
the mouth-pieces of the Divinity. 

The love of God for his creatures, shown in the vicarious sufferings of Christ for 
them, is held up and proved. The wisdom of God in providing the means of a uni- 
versal redemption, and a sufficient application of those means to every variety of cir- 
cumstance is pointed out. Finally, a guarantee is given that the completing work — 
the assimilation of man to the likeness of his offended Creator — shall be operated and 
continued to the end of time by the perpetual presidence of the Comforter — " the 
Paraclete, who shall abide with you for ever." (John xiv. 16 — 26.) The one charac- 
teristic, in short, of the third portion of the Bible, is the application of all that pre- 
cedes it to the wants and necessities of man considered as a being responsible to God. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 251 



Contents of "The Acts.' 

To the Jews the use of the old lave and ceremonial as leading up to the belief in 
Christ, and the necessity for the gospel events, are pointed out. To the Genti es the 
new covenant is broadly exhibited and offered. It is a commentary upon the two 
former portions — and such a commentary as it is not possible, without calling in 
question the whole of inspiration, to gainsay. 

1150. Why was the hook of the Acts of the A;postles 
written ? 

13ecause it was of the utmost importance in the early times 
of the gospel, and certainly not of less importance to every 
subsequent age, to have an authentic account of the promised 
descent of the Holy Ghost and of the success Mhich attended 
the first preachers of the gospel, both among the Jews and 
Gentiles. 

1151. These great events completed the evidence of the divine mission of Christ, 
established the truth of the rehgion which he taught, and pointed out in the clearest 
manner the comprehensive nature of the redemption which he purchased -with 
his death. 

GEcumenius caUs the " Acts" the " Gospel of the Holy Ghost ;" and St. Chry- 
sostom, the " Gospel of our Saviour's Kesurrection." Here, in the Hves and preach- 
ing of the apostles we have the most miraculous instances of the power of the Holy 
Ghost, and in the account of those who were the first believers the most excellent 
pattern of the true Christian life. 

1152. Why was the hoolc of the " Acts of the Apostles " so 
called ? 

Because it contained a record of the first establishment of 
the Christian Church by the apostles, or a brief account of some 
of those principal events or acts in which the leading apostles 
figured. 

1153. This book in its very beginning professes itself to be a continuation of the 
gospel of St. Luke, and its style bespeaks it to be written by the same person. It is 
quoted as such by innumerable ancient authors, particularly by Clement of Home, 
Polyearp, Irenseus, Tertullian, Eusebius, and St. Jerome. It comprehends a period 
of about thirty years, but it by no means contains a general histoiy of the Church 
during that time. The principal facts recorded in it are, the choice of Matthias to be 
an apostle in the room of the traitor Judas ; the descent of the Holy Ghost on the 
day of Pentecost; the preachings, miracles, and sufferings of the apostles at 
Jerusalem ; the death of Stephen the first martyr ; the persecution and dispersion 
of the first Christians ; the preaching of the gospel in different parts of Palestine, 
especially in Samaria; the conversion of St. Paul; the caU of CorneHus the first 
gentile convert ; the persecution of the Christians by Herod Agrippa ; the mission 
of Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles by the express command of the Holy Ghp§t« 



252 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

The Ascension of Christ. 

the decree made at Jerusalem about circumcision ; and the latter part of the book is 
confined to the history of St. Paul, of whom St. Luke was the constant companion 
for several years. 

As this accoimt of St. Paul is not continued beyond liis two years imprisonment 
in Eome, it is probable that this book was written soon after his release, which 
happened in the year 63 ; we may, therefore, consider the Acts of the Apostle as 
composed about the year 64. 

1154. WTiy did our Saviour, after Jiis resurrection, ajpjpear 
to a part of his disciples, and not to all of t/iem ? 

Because to many of tliem \rlio did not know the mystery, he 
would have seemed a phantom. For if the disciples were 
diffident and terrified, and required to touch him with their 
hands, it is easy to ima^^ine how others w^uld have been 
aiFected. 

1155. W7iat ivas meant hy the baptism of tl\-f. Holy Ghost? 
(Acts i. 5.) 

The being cleansed and sanctified by his plentiful graces. 

1156. Wliy did the apostles and disciples ash, " Wilt thou at 
this time restore the kingdom of Israel " ? 

Because up to this period they had failed to rea,lize the truth 
that Christ's kingdom was a spiritual one, and not of this world, 
and their thoughts and hopes still lingered upon the restoration 
of the temporal sovereignty of Judea by Jesus. 

1157. Why did not our Lord undeceive his apostles upon 
this point ? 

Because, evidently, the near approach of the enlightening 
spirit — the Holy Ghost — would suffice for all requirements. 

1158. Why, after Jesus Christ was taJcen up into heaven, 
" and a clozi^d received him out of their sight," did the two angels, 
or two men in white apparel, predict his reappearance in a 
similar manner ? 

Because, in the opinion of many commentators, among 
whom are Sts. Chrysostom, Hilary, and Jerome, our Lord wiU 
summon the world to its last judgment by descending in a cloud 
upon mount Olivet. 

1159. In other passages of the Scriptures {e.g., Joel iii. 2, 12) we read that 
*• The Jjord win gather aU nations in the valley of Jehosjiaphat^ and will plead with 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY 253 



The Descent of the Eoly Ghost. 



them there." It is this valley that separates Jerusalem from the mount of Olivet, 
and herein is a most remarkable coincidence — the testimony of the old dispensation 
corresponding with that of the new, and investing the site of our Lord's ascension 
into heaven vrith an awful interest. If the Lord is to plead with the nations fro>r«i. 
Olivet, the nations must needs be in the valley of Jehoshaphat. 

1160. Why did the apostles and disciples remain quietly at 
Jerusalem after the ascension of our Lord into heaven ? 

1. Because being still unconfirmed in their faith, and 
deficient of many requisites for the promulgation of the gospel 
of their Master, they preferred to remain in retirement and seclu- 
sion. 2. Because they had received a command from our Lord to 
tarry in the holy city until the promised Comforter, the Holy 
Ghost, should descend upon them, and which, they were led to 
expect, would happen in a very few days. 

1161. The distance from mount Olivet to Jerusalem is said (Liike i. 12) to be a 
" Sabbath-day's journey," by which is meant that distance which was permitted by 
the Mosaic law to pedestrians on the Sabbath. Animals, beasts of burthen, being 
prohibited to be used upon that day, it was of necessity such an excursion as might 
be taken on foot. It was said to be in length one mile or 2000 cubits. The Syrian 
translator of the New Testament puts about se^en stadia for a Sabbath-day's 
journey, which is, according to the computation of the Rabbins, about a mile. 

' '1162. Wliy did the JEoly Ghost descend upon the apostles 
in the form of fiery tongues ? 

Because, by the symbol of a flame or tongue of fire, was 
signified the efficacy of the apostolic doctrine, enforced as it 
should be by zeal, eloquence, and a burning charity. 

1563. The Hebrews use the word tongue for anything pointed. Thus they 
say a tongue of the earth for a promontory, a fiery tongue for a flame in shape 
of a tongue. 

1164. WJiy did the apostles consider it necessary to elect a 
successor to Judas Iscariot? 

1. Because they deemed ib expedient to preserve the 
original constitution of the apostolic college, which consisted of 
twelve persons, each of whom should have been a witness of 
the sufierings, and in particular of the resurrection of Jesus. 
2. They were moved thereto by a particular prophecy in Psalm 
Ixix. 25, wherein the apostasy of Judas and the election of his 
successor were particularly pointed out. 



254 THE BIBLICAL EEASO^' WHY. 



The -«Iiraculou3 Gift of Tongues. 

1165. This passage vre find alluded to and quoted bv St. Peter as a sort of 
authority for the act in question — " For it is written in th.e book of Psalms, Let his 
habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein : and, his bishoprick let 
another take." (Acts 1. 20.) 

1166. If7i^ did the apostles draw lots in order to determine 
their choice of a successor to Judas Iscariot 1 

Because that was the recognized method of appealing to 
God, who was believed bj the result to signify his will. 

1167. From the circumstance related in Acts i. 15, of St. Peter's taking tte 
initiative in this election of a successor to Judas Iscariot, some commentators infer 
that he was already looked upon by the other apostles as their leader and 
president. A distinction had been made by our Lord in favour of this apostle 
when he said (Luke xiii. 32), ""^"hen thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren," 
and the above act, joined to the circtunstance that he preached the first sermon 
and reaped the first plenteous harvest of converts, seems to favour the idea. 

1168. Wliy did the apostles receive the gift of tongues ? 
Because they were thus miraculously enabled to fulfil the 

precept of Jesus, and preach the gospel to every creature. 

• 

1169. Some suppose that the apostles spoke only their own tongue, and the 
miracle consisted in each one of their hearers understanding it as if they spoke it in 
his language. But others, such as St. Augustine, understand the teit literally, 
though the apostles had not this gift on all occasions nor on aU subjects, and there- 
fore sometimes stood in need of interpreters. 

1170. Why did the Soly Ghost descend upon the apostles 
at the feast of Pentecost ? 

1. Because, as that feast was the completion or end of the 
solemn paschal time, it was most appropriate as the commencing 
day of the Christian Church, under the direction of the Holy 
Spirit. 2. Because, under the old law, this was a feast of the 
firstfruits, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the 
first converts were now made. 3. Pentecost was one of the three 
great yearly festivals in which, under the Jewish law, all the 
males were required to appear before God at the place of 
his sanctuary. 

1171. From this cause Jerusalem was full of visitors from every part of the 
then known globe, and thus the apostles had the best possible opportunity of 
declaring the truths of the gospel and spreading the faith — an opportunity of which 
they were enabled to avail themselves in a wonderful manner. 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 255 



Proselytes. 

1172. Why was the great Pentecostal act, the descent of the 
Koly Ghost u^pon the apostles, ushered in hy " a sound from 
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind'' 1 

Because this noise and wind were symbols of the Divinity. 

1173. " Perhaps this was a kind of thunder, accompanied with a great wind, 
which Med with terror and awe the whole company, and disposed them to receive 
the gift of heaven with humility and fervour. It appears to have been heard over a 
great part of the city, and to have gathered together a great crowd, who came to 
learn the cause. It was thus, also, that formerly on mount Smai thunder and 
lightning, the dark cloud and the smoking mountain, marked the majesty of 
God."— (Cahnet.) 

1174. Kow many persons are supposed to have been present 
at this first miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost ? 

Tlie Scripture narrative says " about a hundred and twenty." 
This number was made up of the twelve apostles, the seventy 
disciples, and others who had been the chief witnesses of 
Christ's passion, death, and resurrection, or were intended 
to be the first missionaries of the faith. 

1175 Mary the mother of Jesus is specially mentioned, and there cannot be the 
shadow of a doubt that she was regarded by the apostles and disciples as specially 
their mother-the one Unk between the seen and the unseen worlds. 

When the apostles came to appoint the seven deacons, they ordered the 
assemblv to look out among them men fuU of the Holy Ghost (Acts vi. 3), which 
plainly implies that there were several persons among them remarkable for such 
extraordinary gifts; yet we cannot suppose any time so proper for their reception 
of those gifts as this wonderful day cf Pentecost. Nay, if the apostles themselves, 
by the imposition of their hands, could communicate the Holy Ghost to those whom 
they ordained ministers in particular churches, it seems um-easonable to thmk that 
such persons as had been constant companions of Christ and his apostles, and were 
to be the great preachers of the gospel in several parts of the world should not at 
this time be endowed with the V^e gifts ; so that we may, with St. Chrysostom and 
others, be allowed to infer that the Holy Ghost fell not only upon the apojtles but 
also upon the hundred and twenty that were in company with them.-(^Tiitby s 
"Annotations.") 

1176. Why are the proselytes particularly mentioned as 
among the assemblage at Jerusalem at the fead of Fentecost? 

(Acts ii. 10) r. i£.n J 1-1 

Because about that period the prophecy was fulfilled, which 
said, that the Gentiles should seek access to the Jewish 
church. 



256 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



St. Peter's First Sermon. 



1177. Proselytes were, at the foundation of Christianity, to be found in the 
chief cities of the world. The Jews themselves were greatly dispersed, carrying 
with them a knowledge of the true God, and in most cases a great zeal for 
proselytism. Very many heathens were brought within the Jewish pale. Thus the 
ground was prepared for the divine seed of Christianity when it should be 
scattered. A very great influx of these proselytes at this particular Pentecost was 
clearly the work of Providence, for of the thousands converted by St. Peter's first 
sermon, and baptized immediately after, doubtless a very great number, on 
returning to their own cities, became, in a lesser degree, apostolic messengers of 
peace and salvation to their fellow-countrymen. 

Proselytes were of two kinds : — 1. He who merely undertook to renounce 
idolatry and worship the true God, honouring him, and observing the precepts of 
Noah (par. 87), was caUed gerseptoschah, "a proselyte of the gate," a foreigner 
allowed to dwell among Hebrews, and to have access on days of public worship to 
the outer court of the temple; hence called the court of the Gentiles. 2. He who 
was circumcised and observed the laws of Moses was named gersepzedek, " a 
proselyte of righteousness," but did not cease to be regarded as a foreigner; for all 
were such who sprang not from the loins of Abraham. In his epistle to the 
Ephesians (ii. 19), St. Paul declares that aU these distinctions have come to 
an end. 

1178. Wh;^ did St. Peter preach Ms first sermon ? 
Because, in consequence of the report having spread that the 

disciples were speaking in various tongues, and in a most 
surprising manner, a concourse of people was brought together, 
and an explanation of the miracle demanded. '- 

1179. The mockers, who could find a sufficient reason for the marvel in an 
attributed drunkenness*, seem to have been natives of Judea. The extreme 
improbability of the circumstance, namely, that the depressed and down-trodden 
followers of Jesus should, to the number of a hundred and twenty, so soon 
exhibit themselves as the subjects of inebriety was no difficulty with these. There 
are no people so credulous as the imbelieving. 

1180. Why did St. Peter and St. John continue to go up into 
the Jewish temple at the hour of prayer ? (Acts iii. 1.) 

Because as yet the ceremonial law was not abolished, nor its 
injunctions forbidden to be followed by the converts. 

1181. This abolition was to be gradual, and would necessarily result with the 
progress of the Christian Church, But at first the temple, and especially the 
synagogue worship was to be used at the discretion of the neophytes. 



' Others mocking said. These men are full of new wine." (Acts ii 13.i 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 257 



A.C.. 33. — ^The Lame Man Cured by Peter and John. 



Ilb2. What was the first form of ivorship adopted hy He 

? 
We learn from Acts ii. 42, that this chiefly consisted of the 
breaking of bread and of prayer. 

11S3. The form was, in the beginning, a modification of the synagogue worship. 
After the exclusion of the apostles from the synagogues, they assembled (at night- 
fall, principally) in the house of some Christian, which was lighted for the purpose 
with lamps (Acts xx. 8). The apostles, with the elders, when engaged in public 
worship, took a position where they would be most likely to be heard by all. The 
first act was merely a salutation or blessing, " The Lord be with you," or " Peace 
be with you." Then followed the doxologies and prelections, the same as in the 
synagogues. A discourse followed. Prayer, the Lord's Supper, and a collection for 
the poorer members of the flock concluded the meetings.— (Jahn.) 

1184. Wliy did the apostles Feter and John heal the lame 
man? (Acts iii. 7.) 

Because, having asked an alms of them, which their poverty 
precluded their bestowing upon him, they took occasion to 
exercise on his behalf the merciful powers of their ministry, 
healing him in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 

1185. Why did the apostles invoke Jesus " of Nazareth," 
when our Lord was really of Bethlehem 1 

Because he was better known to the people of Judea under 
that appellation than by any other. 

1186. Why did St. Peter hereupon preach his second 
sermon ? 

This was the hour of prayer, and it may appear remarkable 
that the apostle should risk a general interruption of the 
service by preaching ; but a concourse of people had been 
drawn together by the miracle worked upon the lame man, and 
to these, in answer to their interrogations, the sermon was 
addressed. 

1187. Wliy did the rulers of the Jews imprison Tete^ 
and John ? 

They affected to have some proper doubts as to the spirit 
under which the apostles acted in curing the lame man. 

1188. "They wished to know, by examining them, by what power they had 
done this miracle— whether it was a true miracle, or done by the power of magic or 
enchantment. The cognizance of this kind of affairs belonged to them. It was their 
duty to repress the attempts of false prophets, aeduoers, and magicians."— (Calmet.) 



258 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 33.— First Persecution of the Church. 



The principal agents, however, in this iirst imprisoiunent of the apostles were 
the Sadducees, who, as opponents of the doctrine of a future life, were hurt by their 
preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

1189. Will/ is the ^'boldness" of Peter and Jolm specially 
remarJced ujpon hy tJie evangelist John? 

Because it was a notewortliy circumstance, as illustrating 
an effect of the pentecostal gifts. 

1190. The conduct of St. Peter in the hall of Caiaphas, when his master was upon 
Ms trial, and the conduct of the same apostle after he had received the plenitude of 
the pentecostal gifts, cannot escape notice. 

In the haU he is so timid and fearful, that when charged by a mere female 
domestic with being a disciple, he forgets all, even his Divine Master's actual presence 
and recent warnings, and protests that he knows him not. "While he incurs no 
greater risk than that of being thought one of his followers, he is overpowered with 
alarm, and seeks to secure his personal safety at the expense of truth and charity. 
But a few weeks afterwards he appears again in the presence of the same Caiaphas. 
On the former occasion his principal care was to elude danger by passing himself off 
as not belonging to Christ; now, arraigned before the tribunal of that cruel and 
iniquitous judge, as the head and leader of the new sect, he is altogether another man. 
He appears without fear. He addresses the court in words which show that concern 
for himself was no longer what it had been, a governing principle ; but that, on the 
contrary, he was now as fearless in asserting himself to be a preacher of the new 
rehgion, as he had once been fearful of appearing a mere disciple. 

The city of Jerusalem, from one end to the other, is in an uproar. The 
boldness of the apostles in propagating the religion of one who had been put to 
death by sentence of the civil power must be curbed and punished. Already the 
conversions from the old religion numbered " about five thousand men," and the 
number of women, if then as they are usually found to be, was, probably, very 
much greater in proportion. Penalties must be had recourse to, to put a stop to a 
state of things which was destroying the ancient religion of the country, working 
havoc in every direction, dividing husbands from their wives, parents from their 
children, and uprooting society as hitherto constituted from its very foundation. 
The author of aU t?iis had been put to death upon the cross. His followers, led by 
Peter and John, now braved them at the very gate of the temple, preaching " through 
Jesus the resurrection of the dead." 

1191. Wliy were the ajpostles dismissed without punishment ? 
Because the council stood in awe of the vast multitude 

which followed them and believed their doctrine. 

1192. They therefore contented themselves with threatening them. Here 
commences the history of the first persecution of religious opinion, which the 
passions of men have continued and swelled to such a frightful length. But on this, 
as on aU other occasions, it has defeated its own purpose by adding firmness and 
constancy to the persecuted. Truth is not to be overpowered by violence. When 
will men learn that charity and kindness is the principle of conversion ? 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



259 



A.C. 33.— Gamaliel's Tolerant Advice. 



1193 U-7iy was St. Barnabas so named? 

Because he was the first of the disciples who set the example 
of a commanity of goods, selling his possessions, aud laying the 
proceeds at the feet of the apostles. 

1194. This disciple was named Joseph, or Joses. The snrname of Barnabas- 
signifjdng the son of consolation-was bestowed upon hmx by the apostles to 
commemorate his charity. „ . . 3 . „^„„ 

According to oriental usage, when any present or offermg xs made to a supenor, 
spiritxal guide, or distinguished scholar, it is not placed in h.s bands but la.d at Ins 
feet ItLaUed«'tbe feet-offering." Ananias and Sapphara brought a part of the 
pries of the land they had sold, "and laid it at the apostle's feet. 

1195. Why loas so severe a ipunisliment injiicted upon Ananias 
and Sappliira? (Acts v.) 

Because the intrusion into the infant church of such hideous 
vices as hypocrisy and avarice called for a most signal rebuke. 

119S. Ananias and Ms wife had made a.promise, or vow, to put into the common 
stock the price of what they had to seU. When they had sold the field they resolved 
by mutual consent to keep for their private use part of the money, and to bring m 
the rest as if they had received no more. The whole price being promised, and by 
that means consecrated to God, St. Augustine calls it a sacrilegious fraud, and St. 
Chrysostom, a tlieft of what was akeady made sacred to God. St. Augustme adds :- 
- I can believe that God spared them after this hfe, for his mercy is great. They 
were stricken with the scourge of death, that they might not be subj ct to eternal 
punishment."— (St. Augustine, Serm. 148.) 

1197. Wliy did the apostles use " Solomons porch " as a 
place of meeting ? (Acts v. 12.) 

Because this was outside the temple, a large place, open to 
all, Jews and Gentiles, pure and impure. 

1198 They could here readily speak to large multitudes, and were not Hable to 
be interfe?ed ^vith by the priests; who, had they been within the temple, would 
frequently have interrupted them, and soon have put them to silence.-(Cahnet.) 

1199. Who was Gamaliel ? (Acts v. 32) 

He was a Jew, an influential member of the Sanhedrim ; 
some suppose secretly a Christian, but who used his power in 
favour of a tolerant policy, and as such is most worthy to be 
remembered. 

1200. Gamaliel's advice to the Jews furnishes the best possible example of 
pohtical wisdom in regard to religious matters. "Let them alone, for if this 
counsel, or this work, be of men it wiU come to nought ; but if it be of God, ve 



260 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 33.— Martyrdom of St. Stephen. 

cannot overthrow it. lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." Gamaliel 
was the master of St. Paul, Barnabas, Stephen, and others. He afterwards pubHcly 
professed the Christian faith. 

1201. Why were the seven deacons apj>ointed ? (Acts vi.) 
Because the increasing work of tJie apostles rendered it 

necessary that they should be relieved from a superintendence 
of the temporal affairs of the Church. 

1202. The apostles did not judge it proper for them to be so much employed in 
managmg the common stock, out of which every one as he stood in need was supphed 
as to meat and other necessaries. This is what is meant by the words, " It is not 
reason that we should leave ,the word of God, and serve tables." (Acts vi 2 ) 
Accordmgly Stephen and the other deacons were placed over these matters, the 
apos^tles giving themselves "continuaUy to prayer and to the ministry of the 

1203. Who was St. Stephen? 

Ee was probably one of the HeUenistical Jews that believed. 

1204. Epiphanius thinks he was of the number of the seventy disciples: but 
these were appointed to teach and preach: whereas it seems that Stephen and his 
bro her deacons had not that particular designation, but were chosen "to serve 
tables. — (Calmet.) 

The above opinion from Calmet seems to be contradicted by the text, which shows 
how grandly and movmgly Stephen couldpreach. His sermonis a model if eloquence. 

1205. Why loas St. Stephen put to death ? 

Because his great merits and powerful advocacy of the 
gospel doctrine drove the Jewish leaders into a momentary 
insanity of rage, under the influence of which, and against every 
form of law or justice, they stoned him. 

TT,-, !!-^^' 1^^' f'^^^^-^-^^^y^ of Christianity was gifted with extraordinary power* 
His mu^acles, although not specifically recorded, "were of a resistless kind. Added to 
which his exalted character was such thatit communicated itself to his countenance- 
au^^r?^! f eadfastly upon him they saw his face as it had been the face of an 
angel (Acts vi. lo). This miracle of a luminous countenance is recorded of only 
two other persons m the Scriptui-es : of Moses, after his return from the mount of 
God; and of Jesus Christ at his transfiguration 

futur^l'^'^'fr '/^*- ^''^*''" " particularly noteworthy, as introducmg the 
^ZlToT, ''''''''■ "^"' theystoned Stephen, calling upon God and 

saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at 
a young man s feet, whose name was Saul." 

1207. Who was St. Paul? 

He was the last chosen of the apostles, but as an evan- 
gelist, or preacher of the gospel, the most eminent of them all- 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



261 



Character of St. Paul. 



The history of St. Paul is readily collected from the sacred text; its 
leading particulars are here recapitulated. He was an Israelite, of the tribe of 
Benjamin, born in Tarsus, of parents who are thought to have been opulent. That 
he was taught a trade was due to the custom by which every Jew was bound. St. 
Paul's father enjoyed the right of Eoman citizenship, but whether he acquired it by 
some act of utihty to Eome, or inherited it from an ancestor, is not known. The 
apostle had a sister and a nephew ; he mentions other Idnsmen in Kom. xvi. 11, 13, 21 
("Salute Herodion myMnsman; Eufus, chosen in the Lord, and his u: other and 
mine; Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you"). 

The first elements of his education were received in his native city, but as he was 
intended for a Rabbi, he was at an early age sent to Jerusalem and put under the 
care of Gamaliel. He proved a successful scholar of his master, being of an ardent 
natural temperament, eager for knowledge, pressing forward to gain distinction, 
spurning all half measures and compromises, 
seizing the principles of the Pharisees in all their 
comprehensiveness, and bold to carry them out 
into every possible application. 

The history of this apostle's labours forms 
the chief subject of the narrative portion of 
the "Acts." St. Paul remained unmarried, 
and from his frequent commendations of the 
state of celibacy, he appears to have thought 
it preferable for the condition of an apostle. 

1208. What icere tlie cJiarac- 
teristics of St. FauVs personal 
appearance .?* 

He is represented as a man of 
lo\v stature, and inclining to stoop ; 
of a grave countenance and a fair 
complexion. 

1209. St. Chrysostom contrasting the low 
stature of St. Paul with the grandetir of his 
eloquence, says : — "This man of three cubits in 
height, was tall enough to touch the heavens." 
Lucian, in his satires, ridicules the personal 
appearance of the apostle as the "high-nosed, 
bald-pated Gahlean." Prom his frequent allu- 
sions to his "infirmities" (Gal. iv. 13), it has ST. PAUL, 
been conjectured that his constitution was weak. 

St. Jerome says that he was afflicted with a constant headache. Others mention his 
weak eyes and defective utterance. If these latter were natural afflictions they 




* The portrait here annexed must be taken as rather an ideal, than an actual one. 
Tery few, if anvj actual poi'traits of the first founders of Christianity exi?;t. 



262 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 34. — Conversion of St. Paul. 



must liavs been greatly overcome, since he was beyond all dispute one of the most 
perfect masters of elocution tbat tlie world ever saw. Longinus reckons him among 
the greatest orators of antiquity ; and at Lystra he was regarded by the enthusiastic 
pagans as Mercury, the tutelar god of eloquence. (Acts xiv. 12.) 

1210. Why ivas St. JPaul, altJiough a Pharisee and 
belonging to the opulent classes of the Sehrevss, said to 
he a teyil-maher? 

Because it was a practice with, the Jews, even of the best 
educated and wealthier ranks, to teach their children some 
trade. 

1211. The tent-raaking of this apostle has been held by some modern writers to 
have been a making, or weaving of tent-cloth ; St. Paul being a CUician, a country 
which produced a species of rough-haired goats, from which the Cihcians manu- 
factured a thick and coarse cloth much used for tents. The Fathers, however, say 
that he made military tents, the material of which was skins. This view throws some 
light upon the apostle's intimate acquaintance with military manners and equipage, 
references to which are so frequent in his epistles. 

1212. Why did Saul, afterwards Paul, persecute the 
Christians loith such excessive hatred ? 

Because of the natural vehemence of his character and of 
his entire devotion to the Jewish ceremonial and worship. 

1213. In Gal. i. 13, 14, St. Paul thus expresses his position at that time : — 
•* For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how 
that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of G-od, and wasted it. 

" And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, 
being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers." 

1214. How was St. Paul converted? 

Being upon a journey to Damascus, with authoritative letters 
from the chief priests to arrest any Christians whom he might 
find there, he was miraculously stopped by a voice from heaven, 
and^truck blind and helpless to the ground. 

1215. St. Luke says : — "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter 
against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest. 

"And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found 
any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound 
to Jerusalem. 

" And as he journeyed he came near Damascus ; and suddenly there shined 
round about him a light from heaven. 

" And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him Saul ! Saul ! why 
persecutest thou me ? 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 263 



A.C. 34r— 37.— The Crime of Simon Magns. 



"And he said. Who art thou, Lord ? And the Lord said, I am Jesus vrhom thou 
ptTsecutest ; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 

"And he, trembling and astonished, said. Lord what will thou have me to do ? 
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what 
thou must do." (Acts is.. 1 — 6.) 

1216. lV/i2/ is the apjjellation '' Saul of Tarsus" signijicant ? 
Because it informs us of the superior character of St. Paul as 

a scholar previous to his conversion ; Tarsus being then the most 
celebrated seat of science and polite learning, and in tliis respect 
surpassiDg Athens and Alexandria. 

1217. Sow long was St. 'Paul in retirement after his 
baptism, and previous to the commencement of his apostleship ? 

The phrase "many days" (Acts ix. 23), is explained in Gal. i. 
17, 18, to signify about three years. 

1218. " Xeither went I up to Jerusalem . . . ; but I went into Arabia, and 
returned again unto Damascus. Then, after three years, I^ent up to Jerusalem to 
see Peter." St. Paul made this retirement a means of preparation for the great 
work to which he had been called. 

1219. Why is the crime of ^^ simony" derived from Simon 
Jilagus ? 

Because that magician offered money to the apostles in order 
to induce them to beston- upon him the supernatural pouers of 
the apostleship ; and the purchase of ecclesiastical faculties 
has ever been held as profane and sacrilegious. 

1220. Wliy icas Philip the deacon, after he had baptized 
the eunuch, caught up by the Spirit of the Lord and carried to 
Azotus 1 

Because it was necessary that he should be trarisferred to 
the scene of his regular ministrations at once, which, according 
to the natural order of things could not be. 

1221. This is one of those miraculous events which are occasionally overlooked 
by readers ; yet it is not less clear than wonderful, that the deacon, after baptizing 
the Ethiopian officer, was conveyed by the hand of God over the large space of 
country that intervened between Craza and Caesarea. 

1222. Who was Dorcas, or Tahitha, xchom St. Peter 
restored to life ? (Acts ix. -40.) 

She was a pious woman of Joppa, who with others, widows 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



A,C. 41. — Cornelius Converted. 



like herself, had formed a charitable association for alms-deeds 
and good works. (Acts ix. 36.) 

1223. Why was Cornelius ilie centurion, although not 
even a professor of Judaism, called " a devout man and one 
that feared God"? (Acts x. 2.) 

Because he was in what is termed "good faith," i.e., he 
was a worshipper of God according to the light he had, and 
with a just intention. 

1224. Cornelius religiously observed the law of nature, and the principal points 
of the Jewish moral law, though he did not profess Judaism. — (Calmet.) 

God was so well pleased with the pure intention of Cornelius, that he vouch- 
safed to work several miracles as means to his conversion. He himself has visions ; 
St. Peter has them also ; and the Holy Ghost assists personally at their reception 
into the Christian fold. — (Brown.) 

1225. Why did disputes occur upon the reception of 
Cornelius into the Church ? 

Because the Ceremony of circumcision was dispensed with 
in his case, St. Peter deeming it unnecessary for Christians. 

1226. This matter was fully discussed a little later, and authoritatively settled 
by what is known as the first council of Jerusalem. 

1227. Sy what name tvere the folloioers of Christ generally 
knoion previously to their talcing the name of Christians ? 

They had been called Nazarenes, Galileans, and disciples 
of Jesus. 

1228. This honourable name of Christians, first bestowed at Antioch (Acts xi. 
28), distinguished them from Jews and Gentiles, and from all heretical sects who 
were mostly known by the name of their founders. 

1229. Why is the famine predicted hy Agahus, the Christian 
prophet (Acts xi. 28), remarlcahle? 

Because it was one of the events which, according to the 
warning prediction of our Lord, was to precede the formal 
destruction of Jerusalem.* 

1230. In the reign of Claudius there were four seasons of famine ; that alluded 
to in the above passage took place during the procuratorship of Fadus, a.c. 45, and 
continued under his successor, Tiberius. The Jews suffered greatly from its 
effects. — (Josephus, Antiq. xx. i. 1, 2.) 

* "And there shall be famines and pestilences ... in divers places." — 
(Matt, xxiv.) 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON \N'HY. 265 

A.C. 44. — Herod smitten with Death. 

1231. Why toere the collections required to he made for the 
poor Christians in Judea ? (Acts xi. 29.) 

1. Oil accoant of the famine. 2. Most of the Christians in 
Jerusalem had generously sold their possessions, and placed 
the price in the hands of the apostles ; and many vrho had not 
voluntarily relinquished their property had probably lost most 
of it in the persecutions. Hence arose the particular distress 
of the brethren in Jerusalem, to relieve which the G-entiles 
made collections. 

1232. Why ivas Herod {Agrippa I.) eaten of luorms ? 
Because of his blasphemous acceptance of the flattery of 

the Jews, who hailed him as a god. 

1233. This Herod was the son of Aristobidus and Mariamne, and grandson of 
Herod the Great. He had been educated at Eome, and on account of certain 
services rendered to Claudius, was by him. appointed to the government of Judea 
and the kingdom of Chalcis, which had been possessed by Herod his brother. Thus 
Agrippa became one of the greatest princes of the East. To ingratiate himself with 
the Jews, he put to death the apostle St. James, and cast St. Peter into prison with 
the same design. By a miraculous interposition the latter was rescued from his 
hands. At Caesarea he had games instituted in honour of Claudius. Here the 
inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon waited on him to sue for peace. Herod, being come 
early in the morning into the theatre with a design to give them an audience, seated 
himself upon a throne dressed in a robe of silver tissue, worked in the most 
admirable manner. The rays of the morning's sun gave it such a dazzling appear- 
ance, that when the king began his speech to the Tyrians and Sidonians, the 
parasites aroimd him exclaimed, " It is the voice of a god, and not of a man." 
Instead of rejecting these impious flatteries, Herod received them -nith an air of 
complacency; and the angel of the Loid smote him, because he did not give God 
the glory. Being, therefore, carried home to his palace, he died at the end of five 
days, racked with tormenting pains in his bowels, and devoured with worms. This 
was in a.d. 44. Herod had reigned seven years ; he left a son of the same name, and 
three daughters — Berenice, who was married to her uncle Herod, her father's 
brother ; Mariamne, and DrusUla. 

1234. Why is it written (Acts xiii. 2), " The Holy Ghost 
said. Separate me Saryiahas and Saul for the ivorh ichereunto 
I have called them" ? 

Because, although ministers were to be called to their work 
by the Holy Ghost, they were to be separated from the rest 
of men by some human means or ceremonies. 

1235. This the following verse shows : — " And when they had fasted, and prayed, 
and laid their hands on them, they sent them awav." This human agency, being the 

13 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WflT. 



A.C. 44. — ^Elymas Struck vdth Blindness. 

result of a divine direction, is to be considered as done by God himself. " So they, 
being sent forth, hy the Holy Ghost, departed into Seleucia, and from thence 
sailed to Cyprus." (Acts xiii. 4.) 

1236. Why is St. PauVs visit to Cyprus interesting ? 
(Acts xiii. 7.) 

1. On account of the conversion of Sergius Paulus, its 
Eoman pro-consul. -2. On account of the change which there 
took place in the name of the great apostle, who was hence- 
forth called Paul. 

1237. Why was the name of Saul exchanged for that of 
Paul ? 

There are two opinions upon this subject. The first is, that 
the letter P was substituted for the S, in accommodation to the 
!Roman sense of elegance. The second is, that the apostle 
assumed the name of Paul in compliment to Sergius Paulus, his 
illustrious convert. 

1238. St. Luke's narrative of the visit to Cyprus receives a collateral proof of 
its exact truthfulness from Eoman history. Under the repubhc, Cyprus had been 
governed by a pro-prsetor, not by a pro-consul. But under Augustus the status of 
that island was raised from a praetorian to a consular or senatorial province ; and 
under the first emperors it was governed by pro-consuls. This is proved by coins 
of the period. 

1239. Why is JElymas the sorcerer, or Bar-jesus, said to 
have been with Sergius Paulus the governor? 

In all probability the latter, although a heathen, was in 
some degree impressed with the necessity of a belief in the true 
Grod, and associated much with the Jews, who were very 
numerous at Cyprus, and with Elymas, as one of the most 
astute among them. 

1240. Why was Elymas, the sorcerer, struck toith 
blindness ? 

Because he opposed himself to the work of the apostles in 
Cyprus, and particularly to the conversion of Sergius Paulus. 

1241. The subsequent conversion of the proconsul leads us to infer that he was 
in good faith seeking for a knowledge of the truth. No sooner does he learn that 
the apostles are preaching through the island than he desires " to hear the word of 
God" (Acts xiii. 7). Elymas, on the contrary, neither loved the truth himself nor 
desired that his patron Sergius should embrace it. To the oh' enmity of a bigottea 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 267 



A.C. 45. — St. Paul at Antioch, 



Jew lie added the virulence of a false prophet, " A cMld of the devil, an enemy of all 
righteousness" (Acts xiii. 10); and. accordingly he set himself to Avithstand the 
apostles, " seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith." 

1242. Wliy was the blindness inflicted upon Ely mas said 
to he for a season ? 

Because its object was tlie conversion of the pro- consul 
rather than the punishment of the false prophet. 

1243. Why did Paul and Barnahas, at the synagogue of 
Antioch, wait to he hidden hefore preaching to the people ? 

Because this being the first occasion which the former took 
to address his countrymen publicly, St. Paul was anxious in all 
respects to conciliate them by a rigid observance of their 
routine. 

1244. The practice was, when the reader had done, if he wished to preach or 
exhort, or to follow up his reading by a commentary, for him to approach the desk 
or piilpit and sit down ; this the two apostles seem to have done, and moved 
probably by the spirit of God, the rulers of the synagogue perceived their wish to 
address the assembly, and requested them to do so. If the Jews on this occasion 
failed to benefit by the sermon, and allowed its fruit to be gathered by their 
Gentile neighbours, the fault was their own.— (Brown.) 

1245. Why is St. Paul's first sermon at Antioch (Acts 
xiii. 14 — 41) especially remarkable? 

1. Because of the circumstances accompanying its delivery. 
2. Of its transcendent beauty, exhibiting as it does, in very ie-w 
words, an epitome of God's dealings with the Jewish people, 
from the time of their departure from Egypt down to the 
moment when it was addressed to his hearers by the apostle. 

1246. The Jews, however, seem to have been very httle affected by it. Its 
results, as far as the Gentiles were concerned, were great and glorious. In Acts 
xiii. 42, it is stated, " And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue the 
Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next 
Sabbath." 

"And the next Sabbath-day came almost the whole city together to hear the 
word of God. 

"But when the Jews saw the multitudes they were filled with envy, and spake 
against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 

" Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said. It was necessary that the word 
c f God should first have been spoken to you, but seeing ye put it from you, and 
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting hfe, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 



268 THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 



A.C. 43.— The Apostles at Lystra, 

"For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of 
the Gentiles, that thou shouldst be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. 

" And -when the G-entUes heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of 
the Lord; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 

"And the word of the Lord was published throughout aU the region." 

1247. Wliy did Saints Paul and Barnabas dejpart from 
Ardioch ? 

Because of the persecution raised through, the intrigues of 
the Jews with the chief men of the city. 

12i8. The apostles did not deem it prudent to remain in the face of this 
opposition ; and accordingly, following the directions laid down by our Saviour 
(John xvi. 22), ihey shook off the dust from their feet and went to Iconium, a town 
of Asia Minor, the capital of Lycaonia. Here a great multitude of souls, both 
Jews and Greeks, were converted. 

1249. Why did the apostles go to Lystra ? 

Because the unbelieving portion of the Jews of Iconium 
raised a tumult similar to that at Antioch, and drove them from 
the town. 

1250. Our Lord had commanded them, " when they persecute you in one city flee 
to another." They therefore departed from Iconium, and came to the above-named 
city, which was also in Lycaonia. 

1251. TThy did the people of Lystra attempt to sacrifice to 
Paul and Barnabas as to gods ? 

Because of the miracle which the apostles wrought upon the 
person of the impotent man, " a cripple from his mother's womb, 
who had never walked," and whom they restored in the name of 
Jesus to perfect soundness. 

1252. The enraptured people wished to pay divine honours to St. Paul and St. 
Barnabas, regarding the latter as Jupiter, and his brother apostle as Mercury, 
"because he was the chief speaker." These honours were of course rejected with 
horror and aversion, St. Paul, taking occasion to proclaim the necessity of a true 
faith in the one only supreme God, and the foUy of idolatry. The mistake cf the 
Lystrans is worthy of a passing reflection. We hereby get a glimpse of the relative 
appearances of the two apostles. St. Barnabas was a fine and imposing looking 
man ; on which account the heathens considered him a proper representative of 
Jupiter, the principal deity of their fabulous pantheon. St. Paul was the fluent and 
eloquent speaker. He was therefore Mercury, the companion and attendant of 
Jupiter. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 269 

A.C. 51— 53.— The First Council of Jerusalem. 

1253. Why did the jpeople of Lystra stone Saints JPaul and, 
Barnabas ? 

Because certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, dogging 
tlie steps of the apostles, incited them to do so. 

1254. Here a miracle was worked by the hand of God in favour of the great 
apostle. St. Paul had been stoned, dragged to the gates of Lystra, and left for dead. 
But as the disciples stood round about weeping and lamenting for their beloved 
father, "he rose up" apparently unhurt, " and entered the city — and the next day 
he departed with Barnabas to Derbe." In order also to show to the imbelieving Jews 
how utterly futile was their miserable opposition to the spread of the apostolic doctiine, 
St. Paul, after visiting the adjacent cities, " returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and 
to Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in 
the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Idngdom of 
God." 

1255. Wliy did Saints Paul and Barnahas go up to 
Jemisaleml (Acts xv.) 

Because of certain disputes raised by the half-converted 
Jews touching circumcision, and to determine which a council 
of the apostles was required. 

1256. It was the purpose of the new law to supersede and gradually to abolish 
the old. But the spirit of the gospel was one of gentleness and condescension. 
Hence the converts from Judaism were indulged with the permission to continue 
many of the practices to which they had been accustomed. Am ong these was cir- 
cumcision. Some of the Hebrews, not content with this permission, wished to im- 
pose the rite upon their Gentile brethren ; disputes upon this point then arose, and 
an authoritative interference by the apostolic college was rendered necessary. 

1257. Wliy at this first coicncil of Jerusalem did " Peter 
rise up and speaJc " first ? 

Because he was regarded as the most venerable, and sat 
as a kind of president. 

1258. Wliy was the rite of circumcision declared unnecessary 
for the Gentile converts ? 

Because it had been intended as a distinguishing mark 
between the Jew and the Gentile ; and the necessity for such 
a distinction now no longer existed, since the gospel was 
preached equally to both. 



270 TFE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

A.C. 53. — The Churcli ia Lydia's House. 

1259. Wliy were the Gentile converts desired to keep them- 
selves from meat offered to idols, from things strangled, and 

from hlood ? 

because, although the use of these things might be in- 
different in themselves, their abstinence from them would 
induce the Jews the more readily to admit the society of thp 
Gentiles, and it would be a means to exercise the latter in 
obedience. 

1260. But this obligation was but temporary, and after the first ages was abro- 
gated throughout the whole Western Church. 

1261. Why did St. Paul impose the rite of cii^cumcision 
upon Timothy, whose father was a Gentile ? 

Because the apostle wished his pupil to be equally ac- 
ceptable to both Jews and Greeks. 

1262. Why after preaching and confirming the disciples in 
Phrygia and Galatia, did the Soly Ghost forhid the apostles 
Paul and Silas to continue longer in Asia ? 

Because it was the purpose of God to send them into 
Europe, in order to introduce the faith there. 

1263. Accordingly, coming to Troas, "A vision appeared to Paul in the night : 
There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, ' Come over into Mace- 
donia, and help us.' And after he had seen the vision (Paul and Silas) assuredly 
gathering that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel unto the Macedonians." 

They set out from Troas, pass by Samothraeia, and the next day came to Wea- 
polis. "And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Mace- 
donia, and a colony, and they were in that city abiding certain days." (Acts. xvi. 9 — 12.) 

1264. Why are the apostles at Philippi represented as 
meeting the Jewish people without the city hy a river-side ? 
(Acts xvi. 13.) 

Because the Jews when residing in foreign countries gene- 
rally erected their synagogues near running water for the 
convenience of ablutions. 

1265. Who was Lydia ? (Acts xvi. 14, 15.) 

She was a dealer in purple, or in vests dyed purple, the 
disposal of which formed the staple trade of Philippi, a city 
of Macedonia. 

1266. Lydia was a native of Thyatira, a proselyte to the Jewish religion, who, 
upon the preaching of St. Paul, became a zealous convert to the Christian faith. In 



THE BIBLICAL UEASON WHY. 2/1 

A.C. 53. — Xature of the Eoman Prisons. 

the places where, ow-ing to the smallness of their number, or the intolerance of the 
magistrates, the Jews had no synagogue, they were accustomed to meet together for 
worship without the gates of the city, beneath the roof sometimes of a private house, 
or in the open air beneath the shade of a tree, or near the naargin of a river. It was 
in one of these assemblies that Lydia heard the apostles preach, and to whom she 
offered hospitality. Her offer was pressed ■with such fervour that St. Paul was con- 
strained to accept it, and hence the house of Lydia became the first Christian church 
of Philippi. 

1267. What loere the causes of the persecutions at Philijopi ? 
(Acts xvi. 16.) 

The apostles having been accosted bj a young girl who was 
possessed by an evil spirit, which declared openly through her 
the divine mission of St. Paul, they exorcised the demon and 
thus embittered her employers, who had been in the receipt of 
great sums through her powers of divination. 

1263. St. Paul and Silas brought themselves into great trouble by the per- 
formance of their duty upon this occasion ; but herein they followed to the letter the 
precepts of Jesus Christ, -who would never permit the demons to testify to his 
divinity. 

1269. Wh^, after scourging the apostles and thrusting them 
into prison, did the magistrates of Philippi entreat them to 
depart in freedom ? 

Because of the great terror which fell upon the Philippians 
on account of the earthquake which the prayers of Paul and 
Silas had evoked. 

1270. What was the nature of the prisons into ichich the 
apostles and first Christians ivere cast ? 

This will be understood by a consideration of the following 
details which are extracted from the Martyrologies. 

■"^ 1271. The state prison was arranged on one and the same plan throughout the 
Eoman empire — in other words, throughout the ancient world. It was commonly 
attached to the government buildings, and consisted of two parts. The first was the 
vestibule, or outward prison, which was a hall approached from the prsetoriimi, and 
surrounded by cells opening into it. The prisoners who were confined in these had 
the benefit of the air and light which the hall admitted. Such was the place of con- 
finement allotted to St, Paul at Caesarea, which is said to be " Herod's judgment- 
haU." 

From the restibule there was a passage into the interior prison, called robur or 
the stocks, from the beams of wood, which were the instrimients of confinement, or 
from the character of its floor. It had no window ar outlet except this door, which, 
when closed, absolutely shut out light and air. Air, indeed, and coolness might ba 



272 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 54. — The Bereans Commended. 

obtained by tbe barathrum presently to be spoken of, but of what nature -will then be 
seen. This apartment, called the stocks, was the place into which St. Paul and Silas 
were cast at PhUippi before it was known that they were Komans. After scourging 
them severely, the magistrates, who nevertheless were but the local authorities, and 
had no proper jurisdiction in criminal cases, "cast them into prison charging the 
jailer to keep them safely ; who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the 
inner prison, and made their feet Isist in the stocks." (Acts xvi. 23, 34.) 

The utter darkness, the heat, and the stench of this miserable place, in which 
the inmates were confined day and night, is often dwelt upon by the martyrs and 
their biographers. "After a few days we were taken to the prison, and I was 
frightened, for I had never known such darkness. O bitter day ! the heat was exces- 
sive by reason of the crowd there." "We were not frightened at the foul darkness 
of that place; for soon that murky prison was radiant with the brightness of the 
Spirit. "What days, what nights we passed there no words can describe. The tor- 
ments of that prison no statement can equal." Such are a few of the expressions 
scattered over the Martyrologies. 

Yet there was a place of confinement even worse than this. In the floor of the 
inner prison was a sort of trap-door, or hole, opening into the barathrum* or pit, and 
called, from the original at Rome, the Tullianum. Sometimes prisoners were con- 
fined here : sometimes despatched by being cast headlong into it through the open- 
ing. It was into such a pit as this that the prophet Jeremiah was put by Zedekiah 
the king. " Then they took Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah 
the son of Hammelech, that was hi the court of the prison : and they let down Jere- 
miah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire : so Jeremiah 
sunk in the mire." (Jer. xxxviii. 6.) 

1272. W/iT/ were the Bereans commended as more nohle tlian 
those of Thessalonica in that they searched the Scriptures ? 
(Acts xvii. 11.) 

St. Paul had, according to his ordinary custom, been exhort- 
ing the Jews of those parts out of the Scripture prophecies, 
proving from them that Jesus was the Messiah. Upon which 
the Thessalonian Jews raised a tumult, while those of Berea 
betook themselves to the perusal of the prophetical writings, 
thereby testing the accuracy of the apostle's references. 

1273. When the latter addressed their countrymen they almost invariably 
appealed to these writings, which was not the case when they preached to the 
Gentiles, to whom, of course, the Jewish Scriptures were little known. The result 
in the case of the Bereans was, that " many of them believed; also of honovirable 
women, which were Greeks, and of men not a few." 

* Barathrum, from barathron, a deep pit at Athens into which criminals were 
east. Besides being a kind of cesspool for the prison, its sides were sometimes fur- 
nished with hooks and knives which wounded the bodies of the victims as thev 
descended. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



273 



A.C. 51— 56.— The Altar to the "Unknown God/ 



1274. What was the Areopagus ? (Acts xvii. 19.) 
It was the supreme and most famous tribunal of all Greece, 
before wliicli all important causes were tried. 

1273. Tho persons vfho composed it were much renowned for their wisdom, 
Cicero, and many other Romans, were ambitious of the honour of being an Areopa- 
gita ; but the power of Athens being now much diminished, this court had sunk in 
importance, and was, in St. Paul's time, little more than the shadow of a great 
name. — (Calmet.) 

1270. Why did the Athenians set up an altar to an 
" Unknown God'' ? 

They were, in the words of Scripture, " too superstitious," 
and set it up lest, among 
the hundreds of altars 
erected in various parts 
of the city to all the idols 
of \vhom they had heard, 
they should have omitted 
to honour some one iin- 
known to them hy name, 
but of whom they stood 
in dread. 

1277. What toere the 
Epicurean and Stoic phi- 
losophies ? (Acts xvii. 18.) 




VOTIVE TEMPLE, ATHEKS. 



The former of these was very much the same as that of the 
modern deists. Its followers held that the Almighty did not 
mterfere by his providence in the government of the world ; that 
the soul did not subsist after the body ; and consequently that 
there was no future state of retribution. The latter denied that 
man had liberty of action, and maintained that all things hap- 
pened by destiny and fatal necessity. 

1278. Who was Dionysius the Areopagite ? 

He was the most illustrious of the converts made by St, Paid 
at Athens. 

1279. He became Bishop of Athens, and was the same person who, accordirg to 
Estius, had, upon observing the remarkable convulsions of nature coincident with the 

] 3* 



274 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

A.C. 54—56. — St. Paul works as a Tent-maker. 

deatli of Jesus Christ upon the cross, and not knowing the cause, exclaimed, " Either 
the universe is falling to ruin, or the God of K^aiure must be suffering." 

1280. Who were Aquila and JPriscilla? (Acts xviii. 2.) 
They were of the Jewish nation, converts to Christianity, 

and, previously to the date of the events mentioned in the above 
text, residents of Borne. Aquila is stated to have been a native 
of Pontus. By an edict, a.c. 52, the Emperor Claudius banished 
all Jews from the imperial city. Aquila and his wife Priscilla 
then went to Corinth, and there entertained St. Paul. 

1281. They appear to have been zealous promoters of the Christian cause, St. 
Paul, in Eom. ivi, 3, 4, intimates that they had exposed themselves to imminent 
danger on his account. They are mentioned also with expressions of esteem in 2 Tim. 
iv. 19. Aquila and PrisciUa followed the same profession — that of tent-making — as 
St. Paid, and probably employed many workmen. 

1282. Why did St. Paul, while at Corinth at the house of 
Aquila, iviorh as a tent-maker? (Acts xviii. 3.) 

Because he wished to give a proof to his fellow-countrymen, 
the Jews, of his perfect disinterestedness, and that he did not 
wish to be a burden to those to whom he preached the 
gospel. 

1283. Who was Gallio, the deputy of Achaia, before whom 
the unbelieving Jews of Corinth brought St. JPaul ? (Acts 
xviii. 12.) 

He was a man of very superior attainments, a kind of Stoic 
philosopher, and brother to the celebrated Seneca, Nero's 
preceptor. 

12S4. St. Paul and Seneca were known to each other, and maintamed a brief 
correspondence. The letters that passed between them are, however, not now 
extant. 

1285. Who was Apollos ? (Acts xviii. 23.) 

He was a Jew of Alexandria, an eloquent man, and deeply 
read in the Old Testament books, which is the meaning of the 
expression, " one mighty in the Scriptures." 

1286. He had received the baptism of John only, had not heard the apostles 
preach, nor received the Holy Ghost by the imposition of hands ; yet he preached 
boldly to the Jews, demonstrating from the Mosaical and other prophetical 
writings that Jesus must needs be the Messiah. He went to Ephesus in the year 
A.c. 54, during the absence of St. Paul, who had gone to Jerusalem. It was while 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 275 



A.C, 54 — 56. — " Diana of the Ephesians. 



preaching m the synagogue of the Jews at Corinth, that he was first seen by Aqtiila 
and Priscilla, who invited him to their house, and " expounded unto him the way of 
God more perfectly." (Acts xviii. 26.) 

1287. Why did the seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, attempt to 
cast out devils in the name of Jesus, in loliom they did not 
believe? (Acts xix. 14.) 

Among the Jews were some who, by calling upon tlie name 
of tke true God, sometimes cast out evil spirits (par, 856). 
These sons of Sceva, seeing what wonderful effects followed 
the invocation by St. Paul of the name of Jesus, thought to 
imitate him. 

1288. This was an act of gross superstition, and was punished accordingly. 
" And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who 
are ye ? And the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped on them, and overcame 
them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house "^naked and 
wounded." 

1289. What were the hooks burnt in presence of the apostle 
at J^phesus ? CActs xix. 19. » 

They were books of divination and magic art, to which 
study the Ephesians were much addicted, 

1290. The value of the books, stated in the text to be fifty thousand pieces of 
silver, amounted to about $5,000. 

1291. Why did St. Paul leave Ephesus after this event? 
Because of a tumult raised by the silversmiths, or makers 

of silver images and shrines of Diana, the favourite idol of 
the Ephesians, who saw that, if the Christian religion prevailed, 
there was an end to their business and profits. 

1292. Accordingly a riot was organized, during which it was endeavoured to kill 
St. Paul and his companions. The former, however, was protected by his friends, 
and departed for Macedonia. 

1293. Why was the day of weekly rest changed from the 
Sabbath, or seventh, to the first day of the weeJc ? 

Because it was upon the first day of the week that our 
Lord's resurrection took place. 

1294. Hence this day became distinguished by the name of the Lord's day. In 
Acts XX. 7, we read of the weekly meetings for prayer p.nd "breaking of bread*' 



276 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



A.C. 60.— St. Paul Appeals to Eome. 

being held upon the first day of the week; and in Eevelation i. 10, the phrase 
Lord's Day is mentioned. With the Latin Church this term is used to express the 
Christian Sabbath, or '^ Dies Dominica." In no part of the New Testament do we 
read of the weekly meetings for divine worship being held upon the seventh day, or 
Jewish Sabbath. Nevertheless, this is a matter which is determinable by other 
means than those which the Scriptures fui-nish, and rests solely on tradition. 

1295. Who was TycMcus (mentioned Acts xx. 4) ? 

He was a disciple employed .by the Apostle Paul to carry 
his letters to several churches. 

1296. He was of the province of Asia, and accompanied St. Paul in his journey 
from Corinth to Jerusalem. He carried the epistle to the Colossians, that to the 
Ephesians, and the first to Timothy. The apostle calls him his dear brother, a 
faithful minister of the Lord, and his companion in the service of God, and had 
intentions of sending him to Crete, to preside there in the absence of Titus. It is 
thought, also, that Tychicus was sent to Ephesus while Timothy was at Eome, when 
he carried a letter to the Ephesians from this apostle. The Greeks make him one 
of the seventy and Bishop of Colophon, in the province of Asia. 

1297. What is meant hy the " synagogue of the Libertines" ? 
There are two opinions about these : — 1, They are held to 

have been a congregation of freedmen, that is, of persons who, 
having been either born or made slaves in war, had obtained 
their freedom ; or, 2, they were from a city in Africa, near 
Carthage, called Libertina, and hence were called Libertines. 

1298. Why did St. Paul, tvhen threatened with scourging 
by the Jews at Jerusalem, claim the privileges of a Itoman 
citizen ? (Acts xxii. 25.) 

Because he wished to prevent what might have proved a 
source of scandal to some newly-converted Christians, whose 
constancy would have been endangered had the apostle 
submitted on this occasion to the degrading infliction. 

1299. Soto could St. Paul claim this privilege, being a 
Jew and a native of Tarsus ? 

The privilege of Eoman citizenship had been conferred 
upon the parents of St. Paul, and he had it by inheritance 
from them. 

1300. The city of Tarsus had been privileged by Antony as an imperial city. 
The Yalerian law forbade that a Eoman citizen should be bound ; the Sempronian 
iaw. forbade that he shoxdd be scourged or beaten with rods. — (Calmet,) 



THE BIBLICAL EEAS6N WHY. 277 



A.C. 60.— Felix the Procurator. 



1301. Who was Felix, before loliom St. Paid was tried? 
(Acts xx.iv. 25.) 

He was the Roman procurator of Judea, under Claudius 
Cajsar (circa a.d. 50). 

1302. Being apprehended in. Jerusalem, St. Paul was sent by a written order from 
Claudius Lysias — the chiliarch or commandant of the Roman troops, who kept guard 
at the temple — to Felix at Caesarea, where he was at first confined in Herod's judg- 
ment-hall. Upon the arrival of his accusers, they chose a spokesman in one Tertullus, 
and had the audacity, in order to concUiate the good-will of Felix, to express 
gratitude on the part of the Jews, " seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, 
and that \ery worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence." (Acts 
xxiii., xxiv.) The apostle pleaded his cause in a worthy speech, and was remanded 
to prison by Felix, but with some indulgences. 

1303. W/i^ teas St. Paul brought several times before 
Felix ? 

Because tliat governor was in Hopes of receiving a bribe from 
his prisoner, and was prepared upon such conditions to release 
him. 

1304. Felix was altogether a worthy representative of the triumphant heathendom 
of the day. He was thoroughly bold, unscrupulous, and corrupt. Originally a 
slave, he had risen by the basest means to a distinguished station in the empire. 
This position was valuable to him only so far as it ministered to his passions. He 
appears to have been fond of two things .chiefly, money and sensual indulgence. The 
DrusHla mentioned (Acts xxiv. 24), was a Jewish woman, a daughter of Herod 
Agrippa, who was adulterously married to Fehx, her proper husband being Azizus, 
King of Emesa, and then living. Such a pair might well have trembled when the 
apostle reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come. (Acts 
xxiv. 25.) But the trembling of Felix was to httle effect. He remitted St. Paul to 
prison, where he remained for a period of two years, being " left bound" when the 
unjust judge gave place to Festus, as he " was wilhng to do the Jews a pleasure." 
(Acts xxiv. 27.) 

1305. Why loas Felix superseded iyt the procurator ship by 
Festus ? 

Because by his corrupt government he had raised many- 
seditions in Judea, and endangered its safety as a E-oman 
province.* 

1306. According to Josephus, it was the practice of Felix, in conjunction with 
the neighbouring governors, to set the rival factions among the Jews by the ears, and 
when both parties were weU-nigh exhausted by their contests, to fall upon them in 
gross and plunder them. He encouraged the formation of bands of brigands and 
Sicarii, or assasins, and, in short, did everything that was calculated to debase and 
disorganize the nation of the Jews. 



278 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

A.C. 62.— Festus. Agrippa, 

1307. W%o loas Festus? (Acts xxv.) 

Porcius Festus was tlie successor of Felix, as the Eoman 
governor of Judea, to the duties of which office he was appointed 
by the Emperor Nero, a.d. 55. 

1308. He was, at least, greatly the superior of Felix, and is spoken favourably of 
by Josephus. His conduct to the apostle Paul was high-minded and just, considered 
from the non-Christian point of view. When the Jewish hierarchy begged him to 
remit the apostle to Jerusalem, intending to have him assassinated on the road, he 
gave a refusal, promising to have him tried where he was, namely, at Caesarea, 
alleging to them " it is not the manner of the Komans to dehver any man to die, before 
that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have license to answer 
for himself concerning the crime laid against him." (Acts xxv. 16.) On reaching 
Caesarea he sent for and interrogated his prisoner ; and finding that the matters 
which his accusers had against him were " questions of their own superstition, and of 
one Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive," he asked the apostle 
whether he was wUling to go to Jerusalem to be tried, since Festus did not feel 
himself skilled in such an affair. St. Paul, doubtless, because he was unwilling to 
put himself into the hands of his implacable enemies, requested " to be reserved unto 
the hearing of Augustus" (by which name Nero, and the emperors generally, were 
designated) , and was, in consequence, kept in custody till Festus had an opportunity 
to send him to Eome. 

During his government Festus did many great and wise acts. St. Paul's eulogy 
of him as the "most noble Festus," was no mere piece of court flattery. When he 
came to Judea he found the country infested with robbers, who plundered the 
villages and set them on fire; the Sicarii also were numerous. Many of these 
miscreants he captured and put to death. Festus also sent forces, both of horse and 
foot, to fall upon those that had been seduced by a certain impostor, who promised 
them deliverance and freedom from the Koman yoke if they would foUow him unto 
the wilderness. These troops destroyed both the impostor and his dupes. Unlike 
most of his contemporaries, Festus appears to have died a natural death. 

1309. Who was Agrippa II.? (Acts xxr. 13.) 

He was son of the king of the same name, who imprisoned 
St. Peter, and put St. James to death. 

1310. He was called Herod the younger, or Herod the Second. The Berenice 
mentioned in this chapter as his sister was an infamous person. If Agrippa was 
serious in his declaration to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian," 
he very soon allowed the impression made upon his mind to fade away. His reign of 
fifty-one years is stained with all sorts of crime, including the very worst. When the 
last war against the Eomans broke out, he took part with the heathens against his 
countrymen. Agrippa II. died in the third year of the Emperor Trajan. 

1311. Why was Christ said to have been the first to rise from 
the dead (Acts xxvi. 23), when others before him had risen, as the 
widoio's son, Lazarus, etc. ? 

Because he was the first who rose not to die again. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 279 



A.C. 62— 65.— St. Paul at Melita. 

1312. As such, Jesus Christ had been frequently represented by the prophets ; 
others had been raised to life, but had returned to their graves. He was the 
first, also, who raised himself. — (Calmet.) 

1313. Wliy did Festus declare St. Paul to he mad ? 
(Acts xxvi. 24.) 

Because of the strangeness to his ears of the doctrines 
preached by the apostle. 

1314. The resurrection of the dead, remission of sins, baptism, faith, etc., were 
subjects completely unintelligible to a Eoman. 

1315. Why was St. Faul sent to Rome f 

Because by appealing to the emperor's court he had taken 
the case out of the hands of the proyincial judges. 

1316. Why were the Melitans, or Maltese, among whom 
St. Paul and his company were lorecJced, called barbarians ? 

Because it was the custom among the Eomans thus to 
designate all who did not speak the Greek or Eoman 
languages. 

1317. The term was not applied in its modern- sense, as to rude or cruel people. 
They were extremely hospitable. The Maltese received in reward the light of faith, 
and their island has been a Christian bulwark against the Pagans and Turks for more 
than eighteen centuries. 

1318. TV7iy did St. Paul, when at Pome, dioell {in a 
house) by himself with a soldier that hejot him ? (Acts 
xxviii. 16.) 

Because by favour of some influential persons he was 
exempted from the ordinary kind of imprisonment. 

1319. St. Paul was chained, as it appears by Acts xxviii. 20. It was the custoia 
to fasten one end of the chain by a lock to the prisoner's wrist, and the other to the 
wrist of the soldier who was to guard him. St. Paul won great esteem among aU 
classes at Eome. He was allowed to go to whatever part of the city he chose. 
Some attribute this favour to Afranius Borrus, who was prefect of the praetoriimi in 
the year 51, and who used his authority as long as he possessed any influence 
over Nero's mind to repress that emperor's bad inclinations, and direct his 
councils with wisdom. — (Calmet.) 

With the last chapter of the " Acts " the inspired record of St. Paul's history 
terminates. Much that is interesting^ in his subsequent career is to be found in the 
old ecclesiastical writers. But the whole is involved in obscurity. The reason of 
that is, that the greatest servants of God, imitating their divine model, sought always 
to hide their own glory — to conceal from men whatever redounded to their personal 
honour, and to be " buried with Christ." 



280 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Note on the Acts. 



It is certain, however, that St. Paul again obtained his liberty, and made several 
voyages, by means of which he carried the light of the gospel into many countries. 
But nothing is known as to the manner or time. He finished his labours by 
martyrdom, being beheaded at Eome in a.c. 66, the thirteenth year of Nero. 



:XOTE UPON THE HISTOEICAL POETION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 

1320. Upon arriving at this point two important questions might well be asked 
by the BibHcal student. These are : — 

1. What was the amount of success attendant upon the promulgation of the Gospel 
hy the apostles and their immediate successors during the first ages of the Church? 

2. Has that success been permanent ? Or, in other words, Is the promise of Christ, 
that his Church (Likened to the mountain which filled the whole earth, par. 559), 
shoidd embrace all nations, and continue to the end of time in a fair way of 
accomplishment ? 

The answers to these questions are readily furnished. The limits and scope of 
the present work preclude more lengthened details, but it may be boldly and thank- 




THE "LABTJBrM," OE STAND AED OF THE EOMAX EMPIRE UNDEB 
CONSTANTINE THE GEEAT. 

(Th e monogram in the centre is the abbreviation of Christos, Christ.) 

fully stated, in answer to the first, that, departing from Jerusalem, and distributing 
their forces over the then known world, the Apostles everywhere met with the most 
signal success ; and this success was followed up so perfectly, that at the end of 
three hundred years, the very centre of civilization and dominion, the city of Rome 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 281 



Note on the Acts. 



itself, of itself, and without any pressure from without, erected the standard of the 
cross upon its ensign, as the maxk and emblem of the empire. 

In answer to the second, that, In the present year, eighteen hundred and fifty- 
nine after the birth of Christ, there is scarcely a spot of earth whither man has 
penetrated, or where civihzation has reached, in which the gospel has not been 
preached, and that successfully. 

As to the future permanency of Christianity, the system which has seen the rise 
and fall of thrones, empires, and dynasties, and is stiU only increasing, may — 
apart from the divine guarantee, if it be possible so to consider it — be safely left 
to fill up the remaining measure of the earth's allotted time. 

The following passages will be found very pertinent to the matter under 
consideration, and are but little tnown. 

1321. Thk Testimony of the Empeeoe Napoleoj^ the Fikst to the Success 
OF the New Dispensation. 

{Extracted from his conversations with General Bertrand and others at 
St. Helena.*) 

" It is neither one day nor one battle which has accomplished this event. Is it 
the life of a man then? No. It is a war, along combat of three hundred years, 
commenced by the apostles and carried on by their successors, and by the continued 
succession of Christian generations. All the first preachers of Christianity suffered 
martyrdom. Thus, during a space of three centuries, the presidential chair of the 
Church was a scaffold, which inevitably ensured the death of him who was called to 
occupy it ; and seldom, indeed, during that period of three hundred years, was a 
better fate reserved for the other bishops. In that war all the monarchs and aU. the 
powers of the earth were placed on one side, and on the other I do not perceive any 
army, but a mysterious energy — a few men, indeed, dispersed here and there in all 
the quarters of the globe, having no other rallying point but the common faith in 
the mystery of the cross. What a strange symbol! His disciples are armed with 
the instrument which inflicted the tortures upon the God-man. They carry the 
cross in the world, a sign of their faith, a burning flame which is communicated 
from one to the other. 'Christ — God,' they say, 'died for the salvation of men.' 
What a struggle, what a storm do these simple words raise around the humble 
standard on which the God-man suffered! What quantities of blood have been 
shed on botb sides ! What fury ! But here anger and all the bitterness of hatred 
and Tiole''.oe ; there mildness, moral courage, a wonderful resignation. During 
three hundred years the mind struggles against the coarseness of animal passion, the 
conscience against despotism, the soul against the body, virtue against every vice. 
The blood of the Christians flows in torrents ; even when in the last agonies of 
death they kiss the hand of him who kills them. The soul alone protests, while the 
body is given up to all kinds of torture. Everywhere the Christians fall, and 
everywhere they tritmiph. 

" Can you imagine a man after death obtaining conquests with, a faithful army 
devoted to his memory ? Can you conceive a phantom who has at his command 

• From " The Massacre of the Carmes," by J, A. Belaney, 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Note on the Acts. 



soldiers without pay, without hope in this world, and who inspires them with 
perseverance and energy under every kind of privation ? Alas ! the body of 
Turenne was yet warm when his army retreated before Montecuculli ; and vnth 
regard to myself, my armies forget me, though I am still living, as the Carthaginian 
army forgot Hannibal. Behold the power of us great men! a single battle lost 
crushes us, and adversity deprives us of our friends. How many Judases have I 
seen around me ? Ah ! if I have not been able to persuade these great politicians, 
these generals who have betrayed me ; if they have disavowed my name, and denied 
to their sovereign the miracles of a real affection for my country, and of a fidelity 
which nothing could impair ; if I who have led them so often to victory am not able 
when living to reanimate these selfish hearts, by what means then can I when chilled 
by death maintain and keep alive their zeal ? Can you imagine Caesar continuing to 
rule over the Roman senate, and from the depth of his tomb governing the empire, 
and watching over the destinies of Rome ? Such is the history of the invasion arid of 
the conquest of the icorld hy Christianity ! Behold the power of the God of the 
Christians, and the perpetual miracle of the progress of the faith and the govern- 
ment of his Church. Nations pass away, thrones crumble to pieces, and it remains. 
What, then, is the force that sustains it, assailed by the furious storm of passion, 
and of the contempt of an unbelieving age ? Whose arm has sustained it ? We 
extol the conquests of Alexander ! Well, here is a conqueror who confiscates for 
his own advantage ; who unites, who incorporates in himself, not one nation only, 
but the whole human race. What a miracle ! The human soul, with all its faculties, 
becomes united with the existence of Christ; and how? By a miracle which 
exceeds all miracles. He will have the love of man ; that is, he will have that which 
is the most difficult to obtain— that which a wise man seeks in vain from his friends, 
a father from his children, a wife from her husband, a brother from a brother — in a 
word, the heart ; that is what he will have, he exacts it absolutely, and he instantly 
succeeds. I conclude from this his divinity. Alexander, Caesar, Hannibal, 
Louis XIV., with all their genius, have failed in this point. They have conquered 
the world, and they have not gained one single friend. . . . Christ speaks, and 
from that moment generations are united to him by closer and more intimate ties 
than those of blood ; by a union more sacred, more binding than any other. He 
kindles the flame of a love which extinguishes the love of self, which prevails over 
every other love. On viewing this miracle of his will, how is it possible not to 
recognize the Woed, the Creator of the world ? Thus the greatest miracle of 
Christ, without contradiction, is the reign of charity. He alone has the power of 
raising the hearts of men to the invisible world, to the sacrifice of all temporal 
concerns. He alone, in instituting this sacrifice, has established a bond between 
heaven and earth. All those who believe in him feel within them this marvellous 
supernatural and all-perfect love— a phenomenon not to be explained, not to be 
understood by reason, or by the powers of man. A sacred fire is diffused over the 
earth by this new Prometheus, of which Time, the great destroyer, can neither 
impair the force nor limit the duration. It is that which I (ISTapoleon) admire most, 
because I have often thought of it ; and it is that which proves to me, beyond all 

doubt, the dioinity of Christ Now that I am at St. Helena — now that I am 

fixed down to this rock — who fights my battles and conquers kingdoms for me ? 
Where are my courtiers in my misfortunes — does any one even bestow a thought on 
meP Who in Europe itirs himself on my behalf, who remains faithful to mo? 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 283 



The Epistles and Revelation, 



" Such is the destiny of great men — that of Caesar and Alexander— we are 
forgotten! and the name of a conqueror, such as that of an emperor, becomes 
merely a college theme ! Our exploits fall under the ferula of a pedant, who either 

praises or insults us with his criticisms Behold the approaching destiny 

of the great l^!"apoleon ! "WTiat an abyss between my deep misery and the eternal 
reign of Christ, which is preached up, incensed, loved, adored, living in all the 
universe ? Is that dying ? Is it not rather living ? Behold the death of Christ ! 
Behold that of God!" 



CHAPTER XL 

OF THE EPISTLES AND EEVELATION. 

1322. Why was the ejpistle of SL Paul to the Romans 
written ? 

Tlie design of St. Paul in inditing this letter "was, bj 
a full development of the gospel doctrine, to confirm the faith 
of the E,oman Christians, and to terminate some domestic 
disputes which then prevailed among the believers. 

1323. The Church at Eome had become divided. The Jewish and Gentile 
converts were at variance ; the former insisting upon their birthright as the eldest 
bom to Christ, and presuming upon the promises made to their fathers. On account 
of which they assumed priority or preference over the converted Gentiles, regarding 
the latter as foreigners, admitted out of pure favour into the society of behevers 
and to the participation of Christian privileges. The Gentile converts, on the other 
hand, stood upon the merit of their sages and philosophers, the wisdom and 
prudence of their legislators, the purity of their morality, and their exactness in 
following the law of nature. They reproached the Jews with the disobedience of 
their forefathers to God and the laws he had given them ; that they had frequently 
returned to idolatry ; that they had persecuted and put to death the prophets, and 
even their Messiah, the true Son of God, etc., etc. 

St. Paul shows that neither the Jew nor the Gentile had reason to boast, but 
to humble themselves under the hand of God ; that neither could pretend to merit, 
or had reason to glory or boast of their calling ; which proceeded from the grace 
and mercy of God, 

1324. Why is the ejpistle to the Romans placed first among 
the canonical epistles ? 

1. Because of the dignity of the imperial city to which it is 
directed. 2. Because of the magnificence and sublimity of the 
evangelical mysteries of which it treats. 



284 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Epistles to the Eonians and Corinthians. 



1325. As the seat of empire and the destined scene of the martyrdom of the two 
chief apostles, Eome fairly claimed this preference. As to the second point, " The 
epistle of St. Paul to the Eomans," says Dr. MacKuight, " for sublimity and truth 
of sentiment, for brevity and strength of expression, for regularity in its structure, 
but above all for the unspeakable importance of the discoveries which it contains, 
stands unrivalled by any mere human composition, and as far exceeds the most 
celebrated productions of the learned Greeks and Eomans as the shining of the 
sun exceeds the twinkling of the stars."* 

1326. When was the epistle to the 'Romans written ? 

It was written about the year 57, or 58, three years before 
St. Paul's first visit to E-ome, while he was preparing to go to 
Jerusalem with the charitable contributions and alms collected 
in Achaia and Macedonia, for the benefit and relief of the poor 
Christians in Judea. 

1327. The epistle to the Eomans was written in Greek at Corinth. St. Paul's 
secretary was named Tertius. The apostle visited the church addressed twice : 
first A.c. 61, when he appealed to Caesar; and then a.c. 65, a year before his 
martyrdom, which happened in a.c. 66. 

1328. Why loas St. PauVs first epistle to the Corinthians 
written ? 

The intention of this epistle was to put an end to certain 
divisions that had arisen among the Christians of Corinth, in 
consequence of the indiscretion of some new teachers. 

1329. Corinth was the capital of Achaia, a very rich and populous city of 
Greece, where St. Paul had preached during more than a year, and converted a 
great many. Having received a letter from them, and being informed of the 
disputes above alluded to, he wrote the present epistle, sending it by the same 
persons, Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, who had brought him that of the 
Corinthians. It was written about the year 56, and from Ephesus. 

1330. What was the cause of the dispute in lohich Apollos 
is named ? (Cor. iii. 6.) 

There was a tendency among the Corinthian converts to 
form parties or sections under particular leaders, which the 
great talents and excellent qualities of Apollos rather increased ; 
but neither he nor his distinguished colleague St. Paul con- 
sented for a moment to any such fancies, and the passages 
recorded in Cor. iii. 6 were written to put an end to them. 



■ Truth of the Gospel History." London, 1763, 4to. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 285 



Early Heresies. 



1331. Some writers imagine that Apollos differed to some extent from St. Paul 
upon the subject of the concessions which it might be advisable to make in favour 
of Judaical practices, as concerned converts from the Hebrew nation. There does 
not appear to be sufficient ground for any such opinion. Apollos was so displeased 
with the Corinthians for their party -forming habits, that he withdrew to another 
scene. He went to Crete, and wlule there the first epistle to the Corinthians was 
written. He was afterwards induced by St. Paul to revisit Corinth, and ultimately 
became bishop of that city; which fact should be held a sufficient proof that there 
could be no difference in point of sentiment between the two teachers. 

1332. Why did the heresies spring %ijp in the infant Church 
against which the apostle (1 Cor. xi. 19; Gal. v. 20; Titus iii. 
10, etc.) warns the Christians ? 

Because (in the language of Professor Burton) : — " Many 
persons who professed to follow the instructions of the apostles, 
took such parts of the gospel as suited their views or struck 
their fancy ; but these rays of light became mixed up and buried 
in such a mass of absurdity, that the apostles themselves would 
hardly have recognized their own doctrines."* 

1333. The chief of these heretics were the Nazareans, the Ebionites, and the 
Cerinthians. 

The NazareanH were a sect of men between Jews and Christians, but abhorred 
Dv both. They aUowed Christ to be the greatest of prophets, but said that he was a 
mere man, whose natural parents were Mary and Joseph ; they joined all the 
ceremonies of the old law with the new, and observed both the Jemsh Sabbath 
and the Sunday. 

The Ebionites were aldn to the former, whose opinions they held generally, with 
some distinct errors of their own. Ebion, the founder of this sect, taught that 
Christ was created like one of the angels, but greater than the rest; that he was 
conceived and born, nevertheless, in the natural way, and chosen to be the son of 
God by the Holy Ghost descending upon him in the form of a dove. 

The CerintJdans taught similar doctrines — maintained the obligation of circum- 
cision, the distinction between clean and unclean meats, attributed the creation of 
the world to the angels, etc. Cerinthus, the originator, lived with Ebion about the 
time of the de -truction of the Jewish temple by Titus. He particularly distinguished 
his heresy by the novel notion that the two natures in Jesus Christ were easily 
separable, and under this theory he asserted that during the passion the divine part 
of Jesus absented itself, leaving the human part only to suffer. In other words, he 
separated Jesus from Christ Christ, according to his theory, when the time of 
suffering came on, departed and Jesus alone remained. 

St. John's horror of Cerinthus is well exhibited in the anecdote recorded by 
Irenajus, who declares that he had it from the mouth of Polycarp, an eye and ear 
witness. The beloved apostle was one day about to enter a public bath in company 
with one of his disciples, when he saw Cerinthus also enter the building. St. John 

* Bampton Lectures. 



286 



THE BIBLICAL KEASON WHY. 



Secular allusions in the Epistles. 



started back, and bade his friend come away, "Let us," said he, " come away lest the 
bath wherein is Cerinthus, that enemy of the truth, sh uld fall upon our heads." 

1334. WJiy did the apposite JPaul (1 Cor. xi.) discourse 
upon the covering or uncovering of the head in ipuhlic 
worship ? 

Because, as is evident from tlie context, tliat he had been 
requested to give some directions upon that subject. 

1335. It was the practice among the Greek Christians — the Corinthians were 
among the most distinguished of these — to uncover their heads when attending 

divine service. But in other and more 
Eastern parts of the Church the practice 
of worshipping witb the head covered was 
retained. The question to be decided was 
wliich was the best — should the Western 
practice yield to that of the Eastern 
Church, or vice versa ? The apostle says : — 

1. That they should abide by the 
rules he had given them. (That he had 
advised the uncovering of the Head by 
the male, and its being veiled at least by 
the female portion of the congregation, is 
evident.) 

2. He argues that as it is a kind of 
shame for a man to wear long hair, and 
for a woman to be bald, fo his advice 
relative to the subject had a natural re- 
commendation. 

3. He *ells thena that contentiousness 
is worse than any breach of etiquette, insinuating that they must not be bigotted 
either way (1 Cor. xi. 16). 

1336. Why does St. Paul recommend the Corinthians to 
cultivate prophesying ? 

In the New Testament language, " prophesying " frequently 
means preaching, and the apostle recommends the arts of 
preaching to the consideration of his converts, rather than the 
acquisition of supernatural gifts. 

1337. When the first disciples went forth, and in the synagogues and other 
places of meeting, addressed the people, it frequently happened that between the 
preacher and a portion of his auditory, an interpreter of languages was needed. 
Because not only did nations differ in their speech from nations, but even towns and 
villages from each other. 1 Corinthians xiv., which treats of this subject, sets forth 
by saying, " FoUow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts : but rather that ye may 
prophesy." It goes on to say that even the supernatural gift of tongues— that is 




EOMAX LADY S HEAD-DBESS. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON AVUY. 



287 



Secular allusions in the Epistles. 



the knowledge without study, of divers languages, is less important or desirable 
than the faculty of addressing appropriate and searching words — words suitable 
and well applied to the occasion and auditory. The preacher may address fine 
words to his flock, he may fully intend to teach and edify, he may pray with the best 
intentions, but " how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say ' Amen' 
at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest ? For thou 

verily givest thanks weU, but the other is not edified If therefore the whole 

church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there c( me 
in those that are unlearned, or unbeh'evers, will they not say that ye are mad ? But 
if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is 
convinced of all, he is judged of aU. And thus are the secrets of his heart made 
manifest ; and so, falling down on his face, he wiE worship God, and report that God 
is in you of a truth ?" 




ANCIEIfT CHAEIOT BACKE. 



1338. Why did St. Paul, in his epistles to the Corinthians^ 
the Sehrews, the Thili/ppians, and others, frequently allude to 
and draw comparisons from the ancient games, and especially 
the races ? 

Because these classical contests formed an essential part of 
the system and mode of life of the peoples to \vhom the apostle 



288 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



The Eoman Games. 



chiefly addressed himself, and lent the readiest and best under- 
stood illustrations which a preacher at that time could select. 

1339. The Romans derived the most of their games from the Greeks, by whom 
they had been cultivated and fostered to a degree which it is difficult at this time 
of day to appreciate. These comprised chariot-racing, horse-racing, foot-racing, 
quoitin^, -wrestling, darting, boxing, etc. Every class, especially the highest, was 
prepared for excellence in these contests by a careful training in youth, which 
developed and strengthened every part of the bodily frame, rendering the eye acute, 
the limbs pliant and tendonous, doubling at least the ordinary powers of the hands 
and feet, and quickening all the senses and bodily faculties. 

The severity of the preparatory discipline used, is illustrated by the following 
passage from Epictetus : — " You wish to conquer at the Olympic games. Consider 
first what precedes and follows, and then, if it be for your advantage, engage in the 
affair. You must conform to rules ; submit to a diet ; refrain from dainties ; 
exercise your body, whether you choose it or not, in a stated hour, in heat and cold ; 
you must drink no cold water, nor sometimes wine; in a word, you must give 
yourself up to your master, as to a physician. Then in the combat you may be 
thrown into a ditch, dislocate your arm, turn your ankle, swallow abundance of 
dust, be whipped, and after all lose the victory. When you have reckoned on all 
this, if your inclination stiR holds, set about the combat." 
The most important of these references are as follow : — 

" Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, hut one receiceth Ihe prize f 
So run that ye may obtain." (1 Cor. ix. 24.) 

Here the words addressed to the Corinthian converts recalled a most familiar 
image. The course, or dromos, at Corinth, where the races were run, was one of 
the most famous in the world. It was situated on the isthmus of Corinth, whence 
the name Isthmian Games. Of course one onlj- received the prize. The prize 
was usually a crown. 

" Wherefore seeing we also are encompassed about with so great a cloud of 

witnesses, let us lay aside every 
weight, and ihe sin which doth so 
easily beset us, and let us rini with 
patience the race that is set before 
us." (Heb. xii. 1.) 

The cloud of witnesses here re- 
ferred to were — 1. the multitude of 
spectators surrounding the dromos 
or course. 2. The heavenly as well 
as earthly witnesses of that spiritual 
race, which the followers of the 
gospel rule had to run. 

"Now they do it to obtain a 
corruptible crown, but we an incor- 
ruptible." (1 Cor. ix. 25.) 
l>e usual mode of rewarding victors, whether in the wars or games, was by the 
bestowal of crowns. The highest reward was the civic croivn,f, made of oak leaves, 
and conferred on him who had saved the life of a citizen. The person who received 




AMPHITHEATRE, VEKONA. 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 



289 



Secular allusions of St. Paul. 




it wore it at the spectacles, aad sat next the senate. The viirral crown, a, was 
bestowed on him who first scaled the walls of a city. The embattled croicn, b, on 
him who fii'st mounted the ram- 
part or entered the camp of the 
enemy. The naval crown, c, was 
bestowed for naval exploits. The 
grass crown, d, was for lesser 
merits. The chaplets, e,f, g, given 
in the Olympic games, were of 
laurel, vine, or parsley. These, 
though in part made of ever- 
greens, would speedily fade. 
Their essential insignificance, 
compared with the great eflTorts 
by which they were won, are 
frequently alluded to by the 
satirists of St. Paul's age. The 
comparison between the fading 
chaplet and the eternal reward 
of the just in heaven would be 
well understood. 

The text— 

" But I keep under my body 
and bring it into subjection " 
(1 Cor. ix. 27), 

— is explained, as to the secular 
allusion, in the above quotation 
from Epictetus. Another illus- 
tration is to be found in the fact that those who, in the Isthmian games, strove 
to gain the prize in running or boxing were required to pass ten months in the 
gymnasium of EUs, in order to prepare themselves by exercises and a rigid diet. 
Abstinence and self denial, as essential to the Christian combat, are hereby 
inculcated. 

"Not as one beating the air." (1 Cor. ix. 26.) 

In order to acquire agihty and still, aspirants exercised themselves with weapons 
apart from an antagonist. This was called " shadow fighting," beating the air, 
literally. The opponents for whom St. Paul prepared his neophytes were not of this 
kind. These were the prejudices and the persecutions of Eoman and Greek 
heathendom, their own fallen nature, and the powers of darkness. The greater 
portion, probably, of those to whom this epistle was first addressed, had to witness 
to the death, either in the arena with lions, or in fetid dungeons under the relentless 
heel of their Pagan rulers. 

" I press toward the mark for the pi'ize." (1 Phil. iii. 14.) 

This refers to the foot-races at the Isthmian games. The prize to he ran lor 
at these games was exhibited in such a manner as to be visible to all the runners. 
Thus their emulation was excited. The eternal prize for which the apostle ran, 
namely, the vision of God in heaven, was set ever before his eyes by contemplation 
and pravei-. 

14 



a, Mural crown ; h. Embattled ciO'^m (covona 
vallarus) ; v. Naval crown ; d, Crown of 
grass : e, Triumphal crown ; f. Civic crown ; 
g. Oval crown. 



290 THE BIELICAL EEASON WKY. 



The Contests of the Arena. 



1340. WJiy was tlie second epistle to the Corinthians 
toritten ? 

St. Paul had in his first epistle written rather severely to 
his converts ; the effect thereby produced was very great. He 




ROMAS- BOXEKS. 

therefore wrote this second epistle to comfort and strengthen 
the flock, admonishing them to persevere in a proper course, 
and especially to avoid false teachers. 

1341. Among other things, the first epistle had contained a sentence of excom- 
munication — a cutting-off from Church fellowship — against a Christian who was 
living in a shockingly scandalous manner. (1 Cor. v. 1.) IlaTiug been informed of 
the repentance and amendment of this person, St. Paul in his second epistle pro- 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON AVHY. 291 



S4. Paid to the Galatians. 



nounces liis pardon and reintegration -n-itli tlie congregation of the faithful. (2 Cor. 
ii. 6.) The false teachers alluded to having a habit of praising themselves, and 
depreciating the merits and authority of St. Paul, the latter takes occasion to 
defend himself from their attacks, and enumerates, in a grand yet modest style, the 
sufferings he had gone through, and the favours he had received from God. 

The second epistle was written but a short time subsequent to the first— about 
the year 57 — some months before that to the Eomans. The place from which it 
was written is not quite clearly known. It was from some part of Macedonia, 
probably from Phih'ppi. 

1342. Wliy was the epistle of St. Faul to the Galatians 
toritten ? 

Because of some controversies which had been raised bj 
the Jewish, converts with the Grentile Christians concerning 
circumcision, and some other lesser matters. 

1343. The Galatians, soon after St. Paul had preached the gospel to them, were 
seduced by some false teachers who had been Jews, and who were for obhging all 
Christians, even those who had been Gentiles, to observe circumcision and the other 
ceremonies of the Mosaical law. In this epistle he refutes the doctrine of these 
teachers, and also their calumny against his mission and apostleship. The Galatians 
were originally Gauls, who, under their leader Brennu*, spread themselves over 
Greece, and at length passed into Asia Minor, where they settled between Cappa- 
docia and Phrygia, in the province afterwards called from them Galatia. It seems 
that St. Peter preached first in those parts ; but it was only to the Jews, as may be 
gathered from the inscription of his first epistle, which he addresses to the Jews of 
Pontus, etc. But St. Paul was the fii-st that preached to the Gentile inhabitants of 
this province. "When he first jpreached to them he was received as an angel from 
heaven, or rather as Christ himself; he visited them oftener than once, and the 
church he there formed was very considerable. But the JeN\-ish converts caused the 
troubles which gave rise to this epistle, in setting up the old legal observances. The 
apostle herein rectifies matters, declares the dignity and authority of his mission, 
and exhorts npon various heads. St. Jerome states that this epistle was written 
from Eome, while its author was in chains for the truth. Others maintain that 
it was sent from Ephesus. 

1344. Why does St. Paul in his ejpistles allude to the 
military equipments of a soldier f 

Because he could use no images of a more apposite 
cbaracter, or with which his correspondents were more 
familiar. 

1345. It is not necessary to point out how intimate was the knowledge possessed 
by St. Paul upon these matters, or how thoroughly, when these epistles were written, 
the Eoman mihtary element penetrated all ranks and parts of the empire. It 
will have been seen, by what has been before stated, that the one distinguishing 
mark of the time was the universally-present Eoman legionary. The whole world 



292 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



Military allusions in the Epistles. 



had been subjected to the Eoman yoke, and even where the policy of the conquerors 
had left to the conquered people some remants of .their national peculiarities or 
characteristic colouring, the fashion of Eome prevailed. Many cities, called 

free cities, were permitted to 
maintain garrisons of national 
troops, and to enjoy a shadow of 
nat'onal independence ; but here 
the nationality, whatever it might 
be, soon faded away, and the 
militai-y system became entirely 
assimilated to that of the domi- 
nant city. The costume of a« 
Eoman soldier then was the uni- 
versal type, and as such was 
alluded to by St. Paul. The 
principal of these references occur 
in the sixth chapter of the epistle 
to the Ephesians, and are as 
follow : — 

"Finally, hjrethren, he strong 
ill the Lord, and in the power of 
his mirjlit. 

"Put on the whole armour of 
God, that ye may he ahle to stand 
against the wiles of the devil." 
(Eph. vi. 10, 11.) 

The armour of a Eoman sol- 
dier, speaking in general terms, 
consisted of the demi-cylindrical 
buckler or shield, the cuirass or 
pectoral (breastplate), the casque 
or helmet, and the ocrea or greave. 
"For we wrestle not against 
flesh and hlood, hut against prin- 
cipalities," etc. (Eph. vi. 12.) 

" The young soldier was re- 
gularly trained to the exercises 
of running, leaping, vaulting, 
wrestling, and swimming." — 
(Carr's "Eoman Antiquities.") 
" Stand therrfore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the 
breastplate of righteousness." (Eph. vi. 14.) 

The cuirass or pectoral was a hollow plate of brass, about a foot square, adapted 
to the form of the chest, and fastened with thongs of leather protected with 
metallic scales; but the centurions and foremost legionaries rendered themselves 
stiU more impenetrable to the steel of the enemy by using chain armour covered 
with brass scales, or iron rings twisted within one another like chains. 

" And your feet shod idth the preparation nf the gospel of peace." (Eph. vi. 15.) 




EOMAN LEGIOXAEY. 



TEE BIBLICAL EEASO^' WHY. 



293 



Military allusions in the Epistles. 



The soldiers at first went nearly barefobt ; as the Eoman power advanced more 
care was taken of the feet. Under the 
emperors the sandal was improved into a 
kind of boot, and even studded with nails. 
The annexed cut shows how carefully the foot 
wa3 protected in St. Paul's time. 

" Above all taking the shield of faith, 
tchereicith ye shall he ahle to quench all the 
fiery darts of the tvicked." (Eph. vi. 16.) 

The buckler, anciently round, had, in the 
time of the apostles, been superseded by the 
demi-cyhndi-ical or oblong " scutum." This 
shield, four feet in length by two feet and a 
half in breadth, and constructed in the form 
of a tile, was composed of two or three pieces 

of timber. 




EOlTAJf SAXDAt. 




fashioned and secured to- 
gether in the manner of staves, covered 
with leather, strengthened at each end 
by a band of iron, and provided in the 
middle with an iimho or boss of metal, 
for the purpose of turning aside the mis- 
siles and pikes of the enemy. 

"And take the helmet of salvation 
and the sword of the Spirit which is the 
word of God." (Eph.vi. 17.) 

The casque, helmet, or head-piece of 
brass or iron was variously formed, but 



SHIELD. 

generally fitted projections at the 
base for protecting the neck and 
shoulders, and in most cases attached 
under the chin by meutonnieres 
covered with scales of brass. The 
helmet was generally adorned 'with 
a crest. The sword in use, called 
the Spanish sword, was conxmon to all 
the infantry of the legion. It had a 
short, broad blade of excellent tem- 
per, which serves either to cut or 
thrust. It was two-edged, which 
quality is referred to by St. Paul in 
Heb. iv, 12:— "The word a: God is 
quick and powerful, and shar] er than 
any two-edged sword." 




294 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Sufferings of tlie Primitive Christians. 



1346. What is tls meaning of tJie phrase, " For I hear in my 
lody the marks of the Lord Jesus' ? (Gal. vi. 17.) 

St. Paul intended to say in those words that he had realized 
in his own person some of the 
sufferings of Christ; in other 
words, that his body bore the 
marks of the persecutions he 
tC^SdiliilPWJ ^^^ endured on account of his 
apostleship. 

1347, It was an ancient custom to 
mark or brand with certain well under- 
stood characters the bodies of soldiers, 
fugitives, and domestics. Doubtless St. 
Paul had these insignia in his mind when 
he penned the allusion in Gal. vi. 17. But 
with reference to the marks received by 
the servants of Christ who had to pass 
tlirough the hands of the heathen judges, 
it may be as well to consider what the 
nature of these inflictions were. 
Two-EDOED swoBD. Foxe, in his " Acts and Monuments," 

speaking of the earliest preachers of 
the gospel, and quoting from Eusebius, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and others, 




" Some were slain with the sword ; some burnt with fire ; some with whips 
scourged ; some stabbed with forks of iron ; some fastened to the cross or gibbet ; 
some drowned in the sea; some their sMns plucked off; some their tongues cut out; 
some stoned to death ; some killed with cold ; some starved with hunger ; some their 
hands cut off alive, or otherwise dismembered, have been so left naked to the open 
shame of the world. Neither yet were these tyrants and organs of Satan thus con- 
tented with death only, to bereave the life from the body. The kinds of death were 
divers, and no less horrible than divers. Whatsoever the eruelness of man's inven- 
tion could devise for the punishment of man's body was practised against the Chris- 
tians, as partly I have mentioned before ; and more appeared by the epistle sent 
from the brethren of France hereafter following. Crafty trains, outcries of enemies, 
stripes and scourgings, dravrings, tearings, stonings, plates of iron laid unto them 
burning hot, deep dungeons, racks, strangling in prisons, the teeth of wild beasts, 
gridirons, gibbets and gallows, tossing upon the horns of bulls. Moreover, when 
they were thus killed, their bodies were laid in heaps, and dogs there left to keep 
them, that no man might come to bury them, neither would any prayer obtain them 
to be interred and buried." 

That St. Paul, at the time of his writing this epistle, was a partaker in these 
sufferings — short of actual death — is evident by the eleventh chapter of the Second 
Epistle to the Corinthians, wherei ^ he says : — 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 295 



Sufferinfrs of the Primitive Christians. 



"Are they ministers of Christ? I am more: in labours more abundant, in 
stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 

" Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 

" Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I sufFered shipwrect, 
a night and a day I have been in the deep. 

" In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine 
own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the wilderness, i i perils 
in the sea, in perils among false brethren. 

"In weariness and painfulness, in watehicgs often, in hunger and thirst, in 
fastings often, in cold and nakedness," etc., etc. 

The trial of a Christian prisoner brought before a Eoman judge was some- 
what after the following manner. The account is drawn from various authorities : — 

The magistrates were seated on the subsellia, one of the Daumvirs presiding, in 
his white robe bordered with purple; his lictors standing behind him. JS'ear 
the door of the court, to confront the prisoner on his first entrance, were the usual 
instruments of torture. There were the heavy yolce for the neck, of iron or of wood, 
similar to what in China is called the canga ; the fetters ; the stocks, in which hands 
and feet were inserted at distances from each other which strained or dislocated the 
joints. There, too, were the rods with thorns in them ; the whips and thongs ; cutting 
with iron or bruising with lead ; the heavy clubs ; the hook for digging into the flesh ; 
the ungiila, said to have been apair of scissors; iron combs, or rakes for tearing; 
and there was the wheel, fringed with spikes, on which the culprit was stretched; and 
there was the fire ready lighted, with the wat.r hissing and. groaning in the large 
cauldrons which were placed upon it. 

The Christian ciilprit was now brought in, and the sight of the place, vfith. its 
furniture, would be enough to appal a stout heart. He was asked, Are you a 
Christian ? Upon the reply everything depended. If made in the affirmative, he 
was exhorted by the allegiance he owed as a subject of the empire, to the gods, and 
to the divine emperor, to abandon the foolish plea, to renounce the folly of the 
Nazarenes, and to sacrifice, in the prescribed form, to the genius of the Caesars. 
There was an altar prepared, a flame already lit, incense burning, priests in waiting; 
let them be called in and sacrifice made, aU would then be over : the prisoner would be 
acquitted and even honoured by the authorities. If, however, the plea was obstinately 
persisted in, sentence was immediately pronounced. This would be death, not 
immediate— that would have been too merciful — ^but death slow and lingering. The 
ofiender was first to be thrown into the disgusting Barathrum or TuUiauum (par. 
1271) ; then to be stretched on the rack, or otherwise tortured ; lastly to be beheaded, 
or thrown to the beasts ; and in case of death by decapitation, the body to be cast 
to the dogs. To give the details of an ordinary martyrdom is neither necessary nor 
within the scope of the present work. The way in which death was met by the great 
majority of the first Christians may be learned from the accounts furnished so 
copiously by the Church historians, especially Eusebius. 

At the commencement of the second century, Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, was 
summoned to bear witness to the faith of Christ. So far from shrinking fromtlie 
trial, he gloried in it. " From Syria to Eome," he says in his epistle to the Church 
at Eomc,* " I fight with vsild beasts, by land and by sea, by night and by day, being 

* Translated in Townscnd's edition of Foxe's " Acts and Monumenta." 



296 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Application of the word Saint. 

chained among ten leopards (that is, a band of soldiers), who are made eTen worse 
by kind treatment. By their injuries, however, I learn daily the more to be a 
disciple of Jesus; yet am I not hereby justified. Oh that I were come to the real 
wild beasts, which are prepared for me ! May I find them eager to despatch me ! 
I wiU encourage them to devour me without delay, and not use me as some, whom 
through fear they would not touch. And if they will not despatch me willingly, I 
will provoke them to it. Pardon me ; I Imow what is good for me. Now I begin to 
be a disciple, I care for nothing, of visible or invisible things, so that I may but win 
Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the companies of wild beasts, let breaking of 
bones and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and aU the malice 
of the devil come upon me ; be it so, only may I win Christ Jesus." 

When finally his sentence was put into execution, he stood up boldly and 
defiantly before the lions. These were cowed by his venerable and majestic 
appearance, and doubtless by that virtue which seemed to radiate from his body. 
He, however, spoke out loudly, crying, " I am the wheat of Christ; I am going to 
be ground with, the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found pure bread." At length 
the ferocious animals seized the holy martyr and despatched bim. He suffered in 
the eleventh year of Trajan, a.c. 109. 

1348. What teas the ohject of the epistle to the JEphesians ? 
St. Paul in this epistle had a two-fold object, which was 

dogmatic and hortatory. The earlier part treats of matters of 
faith, the latter chapters of the practice of morality. 

1349. Ephesus was tlie capital of Asia Minor, and celebrated for its temple 
of Diana, to which the majority of the people of the East went frequently to worship. 
But St. Paul having upon two occasions preached there — the first time for nearly 
two years, the second for one year — a numerous chvirch was established. He wrote 
this epistle to them when lie was a prisoner at Eome, and sent it by Tychicus. He 
admonishes them to hold fast the faith they had received, and warns them and also 
those of the neighbouring cities against the sophistry of the philosophers, and the 
doctrines of false teachers, who were come among them. It was written about 
the year 62. 

1350. Wliy does St. Paul address the JE-phesian converts as 
saints ? (Eph. i. 1) 

Because the term, signifying holv, was appropriately applied 
to those wlio had been baptized and had received the gifts of 
the Holy Ghost. 

1351. The fervour and simplicity of the first Christians, their community of 
goods, the cheerfulness with which they endured sufferings, and even laid down their 
lives for Christ, and the mutual charity existing between them, which excited the 
admiration of the very heathens themselves, doubtless gave them the best claim to be 
addressed as saints. The term had been used under the old dispensation. The 



THE BIBLICAL SEASON WHY. 297 



St. Paul to the Philippians. 

rebels, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, addressing Moses and Aaron (ISTumb. xvi. 3) 
had said : — "Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy (or 
saints), every one of them." But if the faithful observers of the old law vrere 
thereby declared holy, witb liow much more reason might the disciples of Christ 
be thus addressed. — ( Brown.) 

1352. y/hy does St. Paul say, "Be angry, and sin not''? 
(Eph. iv. 26.) 

Because he wislies to show that although anger is a danger- 
ous passion, and if indulged, leading to much evil, it may be a 
just and reasonable emotion if regulated and directed against 
a legitimate object. 

1353. Our Saviour was undoubtedly angry when he drove the traffickers from the 
temple. God is angry with evil-doers every day. The context, "let not the sun go 
down upon your wrath," shows that anger, however just, must not be suffered to 
grow.- If moved to anger we must return without delay to a calmness of mind 
and temper. 

1351. Why was the epistle to the Phillpjpians loritten hy 
St. Patd? 

To thank that congregation of Christians for their benefac- 
tions to the apostle and the infant churches. Also to convey to 
them some admonitions concerning charity, unity, and humility, 
etc., and to warn them against false teachers. 

1355. Philippi, a considerable city of Macedonia, was named after Philip, father 
to Alexander the Great. St. Paul had preached there, as related in Acts x\'i. The 
Philippians had a great veneration for the apostle, and supplied his wants when he 
was at Corinth, and again when he was a prisoner at Eome, sending to him by 
Epaphroditus, who is thought to have been the Bishop of Philippi. 

This epistle it written throughout in a very animated and elevated style. It is 
full of the most sublime and the most affectionate exhortations : it resembles more 
the production of a father addressing his children, than that of an apostle laying 
down authoritatively what is to be received and followed. The whole of it shows 
how very much St. Paul loved and estimated those to whom he addi-essed it.* 

1356. TFho were the bishops and deacons mentioned ? 
(Fhil. i. 1.) 

By bishops many understand those who were only the chief 
ministers of particular churches, not the superintendents of 

♦ Dr. Kitto. 



298 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 

Epistles to the Colossians and Thessalonians. 

diocesses as at present. St. Chrysostom also observes that 
tlie name deacon was applied to any minister under the 
" bishop." 

1357. WJiy does St. Paul (Phil. i. 7) spealc of Jiis " bonds'' 
and the " defence of the gospel " ? 

Because he was then enduring his first imprisonment at 
Home, and was waiting for his trial as a Christian before the 
tribunals. 

1358. Who was Clement, mentioned Phil. iv. 3? 

The disciple " whose name is in the book of life " was the 
fourth bishop of Home. 

1359. The church at Corinth having been disturbed by divisions, Clement wrote 
a letter to the Corinthians, which was so much esteemed by the ancients, that they 
read it publicly in many churches. It is stiU extant, and some have inclined to 
rank it among the canonical writings. It breathes a spirit of true Christian 
charity and simplicity. We have no authentic accounts of what occurred to 
Clement during the persecutions of Domitian ; we are assured that he lived to the 
third year of Trajan, a.c. 160. — (Cahnet.) 

1360. Why teas tlie epistle to the Colossians written? 
Because St. Paul wished to disabuse that church of some 

errors that had been taught by Cerinthus, a heretic, concerning 
the angels, whom he (Cerinthus) had placed superior to Christ, 
and recommended the Colossians to worship. 

1361. St. Paul begins his ei^istle by insisting chiefly on the exalted state of 
Christ, saying, that " He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every 
creature : For by him were aU things created that are in heaven, and that are in 
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, 
or powers ; all things werfe created by him, and for him ; and he is before all 
things, and by him aU things consist." (Col. i. 15.) From this argument he 
deduces the inutihty of the Jewish law, its ceremonies, etc. 

The epistle was dated by St. Paul from his prison at Eome, shortly before 
his death. 

1362. Why did St. Paul write the epistles to the 
Thessalonians ? 

Because after preaching in their city, and making numerous 
converts, a number of unbelieving Jews, envying his success, 
raised a commotion against him, and he, with his companion 
Silas, were obliged to quit the place. 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 299 

The Second Coming of Christ. 

1363. But coming to Corinth he wrote there the first and second epistles in order 
to confirm the faith of the new disciples. 

In the former tlie apostle gives many encouragements to his flock to persevere, 
and, in order to refute some errors upon the subject then rife, treats of the 
resurrection of the dead and the after state of souls. In the second he speaks of 
the day of final retribution, and prays for his flock. This second epistle was sent 
soon after the 'first, i.e., about the year 52. 

1364. TF/iT/ is there in tlie epistle to the Thessalonians not a 
single quotation from the Old Testament ? 

Because the persons addressed were for the most part Gen- 
tiles, to whom the Hebrew Scriptures were totally unknown. 

1365. The one exception to this remark is in the use of the word Satan (1 Thess. 
ii. 18), with which name the Gentiles could not have been acquainted except 
through the sacred text. 

1366. Why are the Thessalonians said to have received 
the loord in much affliction 1 (1 Thess. i. 6.) 

The apostle here refers to the tribulations they brought 
upon themselves by their reception of the gospel. 

1367. Why are the unbelieving Jews said (1 Thess. ii. 16) to 
"Jill up their sin always "? 

The meaning of the passage is, that these persons were 
hastening, as it were, to exhaust the patience of God, to fill up 
the measure of his anger and their sins. 

136S. The Jews filled up the measure of their sins by the opposition they every- 
where showed to the religion of Christ. The earUest fathers of the church testify 
that they dispersed emissaries into every nation to blaspheme the name of Christ, 
and hence sprung the evil fame which Christians bore among the Pagans. As, for 
instance, the reports that in their concealed celebrations they sacrificed young infants 
and drank their blood — that they sacrificed to an ass's head, eto. These base 
calumnies are plentifully related in the apology of St. Justin, by Tertullian, Origen, 
and others, who accuse the Jews openly of being the authors of them. 

1369. Why does St. Paul caution the Thessalonians concern- 
ing the day of our Lord's second appearance f (2 Thess. 
ii. 1—3.*) 

Because there was a very prevalent belief at that time that 

* " Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
and by our gathering together unto him, 

" That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by 
word, ijor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand " 



300 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

Account of Timothy. 

the end of the world was very near at Land. It was commonly 
received by both the Jewish and Gentile converts, that the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the day of final retribution would 
be nearly if not absolutely coincident. 

1370. Some false teachers, taking advantage of certain expressions in the first 
epistle (1 Thess. v. 2, 3), had began to sound a terrible alarm, declariog that the 
last day was immediately approaching. St. Paul in this passage takes occasion to 
allay these apprehensions by showing that many events had yet to occur, which of 
necessity should precede the second appearance of Christ — that the Thessalonians 
were not to be shaken by the assertions of these unauthorized alarmists, but were 
calmly to await the day, whenever it might arrive. 

1371. Wliy loere tJie Thessalonians exhorted (2 Thess. ii. 15) 
to " hold the traditions loJiich " they " had been taught, whether 
hy word or by epistle ".^ 

Because the New Testament Scriptures had not then been 
written, or at least not in such a complete way as to preclude 
the necessity for an oral communication of doctrine and 
practice. 

1372. Why does the second ejpistle conclude thus: — '^ TJie 
salutation of Paul with mine own hand, ivldch is the toTcen in 
every letter" ? 

Because in every case the epistles were written by an 
amanuensis, with the exception of an autograph postscript. — 
(Conybeare.) 

1373. The apostle here gives the Thessalonians a caution against the spurious 
apostles who had crept in among them. They are to beware of fictitious letter- 
writers ; they had been deceived by such. This deception he is anxious to remove, 
signing the present communication with his own hand, and sealing it with his own 
seal; for although the rest of the epistle had been written by another, these 
poncluding words were written by himself. 

1374. Who was Timothy? 

He was a native either of Derbe or Lystra, cities of 
Lycaonia, and a distinguished disciple and fellow-labourer 
of St. PauL 

1275. His father was a Gentile, but his mother a Jewess. Her name was 
Eunice, and bis grandmother's name was Lois. St. Paul commends their piety, and 
\}ie good education they had given Timothy. When St, Paul came to Derbe anc] 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WnY. 301 



St. Paul's Epistle to Timothy. 



Lystra, about a.c. 51 or 52, the brethren reported very advautageously of the merit 
and good disposition of Timothy, and the apostle elected to take him as a ccm- 
panion. He circumcised him at Lystra. Tunothy applied himself to labour 
assiduously in the gospel, and did St. Paul very important ser^aces through the 
whole course of his preacbing. It is not known when he was made bishop, but it 
is believed that he received very early the imposition < f the apostle's hands, and 
this in consequence of a particular revelation or order from the H'ly Ghost. (1 Tim. 
iv. 14; 2 Tim. i. 6.) St. Paul names him not only his dearly beloved son, but also 
his brother, the companion of his labours, and a man of God, observing that there 
was none more united with him in heart and mind than Timothy. 

He accompanied St. Paul to Macedonia, to Philippi, to Thessalonica, and to 
Berea, where he remained to confirm the converts. "When at Athens, St. Paul sent 
for him to visit him there. He was afterwards sent to Thessalonica, and, generally 
speaking, accompanied his great master through the whole of his journeyings. 

In the year 63, when St. Paul wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, he tells them 
that Timothy was come out of prison; but he mentions no circumstances either of 
the imprisonment or of the delivery of this disciple. 

It is thought that Timothy was the penmen of the chief part or nearly the 
whole of the epistle to the Hebrews. Some Greek copies hint as much, and it is 
expressly affirmed by the Syriac copies obtained by Dr. Buchanan from the Syriac 
Christians m India. 

1376. W/iT/ were tlie epistles to Timothy ^orittenl 
Because it was necessary for their author, being near his 

end by martyrdom, to leave some special directions to his 
disciple towards the correction of error and the c^overnment 
of the infant church. 

1377. St. Paul wrote to Timothy the first of the two letters from Macedonia, 
A.c. 6i or 65. (1 Tim. vi. 23.) He recommends him to be moderate in his austerities, 
and to drink a little wine for his health's sake. After the apostle went to Eome, 
A.c. 65, being now near his death, he wrote to him his second letter, which is full of 
kindness and tenderness for this his dear disciple, and which is justly considered as 
the last win of St. Paul. He desires him to come to Eome to him before \vinter, 
and to bring with him several things that St. Paul had left at Troas. K Timothy 
went to Eome, as is probable, he must have been a witness there of the 
martyrdom of St. Paul, a.c. 66. -(Calmet.) 

1378. Why is it supjposed that Timothy suffered raartyr- 
dom ? 

Because the " Acts of Timothy ," of which Phocius has trans- 
mitted to us an abridgment, impart that on January 22, a.c. 97, 
the pagans of Ephesus made a great feast, in which they 
carried in procession the images of their gods, being masked 
and armed with great clubs; that Timothy rushed in among 



302 THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 



St. Paul's Epistle to Titus. 

tliem to prevent this idolatrous superstition, but they killed 
him with stones and witli their clubs. — (Calmet.) 

1379. Who was Demas, mentioned 2 Tim. iv. 10 ? 

He was at first a zealous disciple of St. Paul, and very 
serviceable to him during his imprisonment ; but some years 
afterwards (about a.d. 65) he forsook the apostle to follow 
a more secular life. 

1380. He TOtMrew to Thessalonica, his native city. Epiphanius informs us that 
he renounced the faith, and embraced the heresy of Cerinthus, who held Jesus 
Christ to be a mere man. Dorotheus, in his Sjraopsis, says that he became an 
idolatrous priest at Thessalonica; others affirm that he recovered after his fall. 

1381. JVJio was Alexander the coppersmith? (iTim. i. 20; 
2 Tim. iv. 14.) 

He was a great opponent of the apostles, a relapsed convert 
as is supposed, who was " delivered over to Satan" by St. Paul 
on account of blasphemy. 

1382. What is 7neant bi/ the lion from which St. Paul 
speaks of being delivered? (2 Tim. iv. 17.) 

All commentators agree that by this lion is meant the 
Emperor Nero, from whose hands the apostle was unexpectedly 
delivered after his first imprisonment at Home. 

1383. Why is Timothy exhorted to male " diligence to come 
before tvinter'' ? (2 Tim. iv. 21.) 

Because at that early period, when the art of navigation was 
in its infancy, it was usual to journey by sea in the summer 
and part of the spring and autumn only. 

1384. At the approach of winter ships were usually taken to pieces, or drawn up 
upon the land. In illustration of this fact see Acts xxvii. and xxviii., for St. Paul's 
voyage from Palestine to Italy; see also Philp's "History of Progress," section 
I^avicfaUon. 

1385. Who was Titus ? 

He was a disciple of St. Paul, a Gentile by religion and 
birth, but was converted by St. Paul, who calls him his 
son. 

1336. St. Jerome says that he was St. Paul's interpreter, and this probably 
because he might write what the apostle dictated ; or explain in Latin what St. Paul 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX ^VHY. 303 



St. Paul's Epistle to Philemon. 

3aid in Greek ; or render into Greek what St. Paul said in Hebrew or Srriac. He 
visited Jerusalem at the time of the dispute about circumcision. Some woiild have 
had Titus submit to the Jewish initiatory rite, but to this neither St. Paul nor Titus 
■would consent. He was sent by the same apostle to Corinth towards the end of 
Jl.c. 56, on occasion of some disputes in the church. He was very well received by 
the Corinthians, and much satislied with their ready compliance, but would receive 
nothing from them, thereby imitating the disinterestedness of his master. 

From Corinth he went to Si. Faid in Macedonia, and gave him an account of the 
state of the Corinthian church. (2 Cor. vii. 6, 15.) A little while afterwards the 
apostle desired him to return to Corinth, to regulate things against his own coming. 
Titus readily undertook this journey, and departed immediately (2 Cor. viii. 5, 16, 
17), carrying vrith him St, Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. Titus was made 
Bishop of Crete about a.d. 63, when St. Paul was obliged to quite this island to take 
care of the other churches. (Tit. i. t.) The following year he wrote to him to desire 
him, that as soon as he should have sent Tychicus or Artemas to him to supply his 
place in Crete, Titus -^vuild come to 1dm to Xicopohs in Macedonia, where the 
apostle intended to pass ihe winter. (Tit. iii. 12.) 

13S7. Why was the epistle to Titus icritteii? 

In order to convey to that disciple and bisliop some 
directions and admonitions toucliing the ordination of ministers 
and tlie qualities that should be found in them. 

13SS. The subject of this epistle, written a.d. 64, is to represent to Tit'>s the 
qualities of a bishop. As a principal function of Titus in the isle of Crete was to 
ordain priests and bishops, it was highly incumbent on him to make a discreet 
choice. The apostle also suggests the advice and instructions that he should give 
to aU sorts of persons — to the aged, both men and women — to young people of each 
sax— to slaves and servants. He exhorts him to exercise a strict authority over the 
Cretans, and to reprove them with severity, as a people addicted to lying, idleness, 
and gluttony ; and as there were many converted Jews in Crete, he exhorts Titus 
to oppose their vain traditions and fables ; also the observation of the legal cere- 
monies, as no longer necessary ; to show that the distinction of meats is abolished, 
and that every thing is pure and clean to those who are pure. He puts him in mind 
of exhorting the faithful to be obedient to temporal powers ; to avoid disputes, 
quarreb, and slander ; to apply themselves to honest callings ; and to shun the 
company of heretics, after the first and second admonition. — (Calmet.) 

13S9. Why was the epistle to 'Philemon written ? 

In order to reconcile that eminent convert with liis servant, 
or slave, Onesimus, who bad absconded from Philemon's house 
at Colossse and fled to Eome. 

1390. The epistle was written by St. Paul when a prisoner for the st time in 
Eome, about the year 61. It contains, says St. Chrysostom, •' divers profitable 
instructions and marks of the apostle's charity towards a poor fugitive servant." 
Erasmus says of this epistle : — " Cicero never wrote with greater elegance." 

The house ot Plulomon at Colossae had become a church, or was so considered on 



304) THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



The Epistle to the Hebrews. 



account of the great facilities it offered for the assemblages of the Christian converts. 
At the time when St. Paul wrote this epistle, he was in full expectation of being set 
at liberty and of paying a visit to the Colossians, Hence the invitation (in verse 22) 
to Philemon to prepare a lodging for its author. 

A modern writer with great aptness says : — " What a beautiful picture of the 
humanizing effects of the gospel does this epistle convey ! Onesimus, bearing this 
letter in his hand, returns to his master. The apostle expresses a confidence that 
Philemon would enfranchise his slave out of regard to his Christian profession ; yet 
he is willing to charge himself with the price of his Liberty, as well as the compen- 
sating of any wrong done by Onesimus to Philemon. Not satisfied with this demons- 
tration of his love for the new convert, St. Paul interposes the strongest personal 
considerations — ' If you count me a partner in the work of the gospel, receive him as 
myself.' Onesimus is well received. His hopes are realized. The power of divine 
truth and love receives a striking and wonderful illustration. Such was the gospel in 
its origin." 

The epistle contains but one chapter, yet it comprises an epitome of the whole 
spirit of the New Testament. 

1391. Why tias tlie ejpisile to tlie Hehi-ews written ? 

The main design of the epistle is to show that ev^ery one's 
justification and salvation is to be hoped for by the grace and 
merits of Christ, and not from the law of Moses. 

1392. Why is St. PauVs epistle to the Hebrews so called ? 
Because it was written and addressed to those Christians 

in Palestine who had formerly been Jews. 

1393. As St. Paul had shown in his epistles to the Galatians and Romans. To 
the former he had demonstrated that righteousness could not be obtained through 
circumcision and the ceremonies of the law ; to the latter, that even the moral pre- 
cepts and works of the law were insufficient vriithout the grace of Cln-ist. In this, 
to the Hebrew, St. Paul proves that righteousness is not to be obtained through the 
sacrifices of the old law, 

1394. Why were doubts for a long time held as to the 
authorship of this ejpistle ? 

1. Because, contrary to his usual and the ordinary custom, 
St. Paul had not appended his name thereto. 2. Because it 
differs from his other epistles in style. 

1395. St. Jerome says : — " The epistle which bears the title ' to the Hebrews,' is 
thought by some not to be St. Paul's, from the difference of style and phrase ; but 
they judge that it was written by Barnabas, as Tertulhan supposes, or by St. Luke, as 
others think ; or else of Clement, afterwards bishop of Eome, who, as they say, com- 
piling together the sayings and sentences of Paul, phrased them in his own style and 
manner. Or others, as some judge, because St. Paul writing to the Hebrews, on 
account of the odiousness of his name among that people, suppressed it in the first 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 305 



The Epistle of St James 



entry of his salutation contrary to his accustomed practice, and as he wrote to the 
Hebrews, being himself a Hebrew, so he wrote in Hebrew — ^that is, his own tongue 
— the more eloquently ; and this afterward was translated into more eloquent Greek 
than St. Paul was accustomed to write. And that is thought to be the cause why it 
differ eth from his other epistles." 

1396. When and where icas the ej)istle to the H-ehrews 
icritten ? 

St. Paul wrote this epistle about the year a. c. 63, and either 
at Eome or in some other part of Italv. 

1397. This latter fact is deduced from Heb. xiu. 2-i— " Salute all that hare the 
rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you." 

1398. What are the principal contents of the Epistle to 
the Sehrews ? 

From the first to the thii*d chapters inclusively, the apostle 
exkorts the Hebrews to the belief in Christ, by showing his 
dignity and pre-eminence above the angels, and above Moses ; 
from the fourth to the eighth chapter, that the priesthood of 
Christ was above that of Aaron ; thence to the middle of chapter 
ten, that the new law and testament is preferable to the old ; in 
the eleventh and twelfth chapters he commends faith, from the 
example of the ancient patriarchs ; similar exhortations com- 
pose the rest of the book. 

1399. Why is the epistle to the Sehreii's placed last in 
order among St. PauVs icritings? 

1. Because it was the last written in point of time ; and 2, 
because much disputation had arisen with respect to its author- 
ship and canonicity. 

1400. After a careful weighing of the arguments on both sides, the epistle 
was finally inserted in the canon of Scripture at the council of Carthage, a.c. 397. 

1401. Why is the general epistle of James so called ? 

Because it was addressed, like several of the following 
epistles, not to any particular church or person, but to the general 
body of Christians throughout the world. 

1102. Why is the writer of this epistle termed ''the lesser,'' 
or " St. James the Less " ? 

Because he was the younger of the two apostles of that 
name, or the last called. 



306 THE BIBLICAL EEASOJ^ WHY. 



Epistles of Saints Peter aud John. 



1403. He is called tlie son of Alplieus. Alpheus is a Grecized form of tlie 
Aramaic Cleophas. Hence St. James the Less was the son of Mary the sister of 
Christ's mother, and the cousin of our Lord. He was one of the apostles, and was 
the first bishop of Jerusalem. This epistle was written about the year 62. The chief 
contents are: — 1. To show the combined importance of faith and good works. 
(James i.) 2. An exhortation to patience, to ask for the divine gift of wisdom and 
of grace. 3. An unbridled use of the tongue is reprobated. 4. Admonitions against 
pride, vanity, ambition, etc. 5. Against disorderly desires. 6. The anointing of the 
sick with oil in the name of the Lord is ordered (James v. 14) . 7. Exhortation to 
prayer. 

This epistle is said by St. Augustine to have been written to refute the rising 
errors of Simon Magus, the Nicholaites, and other innovators. It is believed to have 
been composed in Greek, from the fact that the apostle quotes the Old Scriptures 
from the Septuagint version (as James iv. 6), and as this language was commonly 
spoken in the East by the dispersed Jews to whom he wrote. The style is concise 
and sententious, like that of Solomon in the Proverbs, and like the maxims of the 
Orientals even to the present day. 

1404. Why toere tlie epistles of St. Peter written ? 

They were written and addressed to the converts (princi- 
pally from Judaism) scattered throughout Asia Minor and the 
adjacent countries, in order to confirm them in the faith, and 
to regulate some matters of discipline. 

1405. Both epistles were written from Eome. Erom some expressions (2 Epis. 
i. 14) it would appear that their date was just previous to St. Peter's martyrdom, 
A.c. 68. The diction used is equally simple and dignified. 

1406. Why were the three epistles of St. John written ? 
They would appear to have been written to confirm the 

doctrines of the Trinity and of the Incarnation of Christ ; 
topics which had previously been largely treated of in the 
evangelical history of the same apostle. Besides which they 
enforce strongly the duty of love to God and our neighbour, 
and in this respect are in accordance with the received character 
of the disciple whom Jesus loved. 

1407. They are considered to have been written about sixty-six years after our 
Lord's ascension. The first epistle does not appear to be addressed to any partiexilar 
person. The second is addressed to one Electa, a lady of piety and 'charity ; aud 
the third epistle to Gaius, a friend and supporter of the infant churches. 

1408. Why does the evangelist John in his second epistle 
(verse 11) furhid a Christian to salute a man of another sect ? 

Because from the nature of the ancient, and especially the 



THE BIBLICAL EEASOX WHY. 807 

Epistle of St. Jude. 

Oriental, methods of salutation, such, a course would liave 
carried an erroneous appearance, and would have possessed the 
very injurious effect of confounding distinctions and giving 
encouragement to heresy. 

1409. The eshuberance and ardour of Eastern salutations hare been already- 
noticed (page 80). It may be added here, that the Hebrews were sometimes so 
animated in these ceremonials as to repeat not less than ten times the grasping of 
hands, and kissing, and the interrogations respecting each other's health. Of course 
a great portion of this ceremonial was thoroughly insincere, and so inconsistent 
with the Christian profession. 

1410. WJiy does St. Jolm (2 John i. 1) call himself the 
elder ? 

Because probably on account of his great age, St. John 
being tlie last survivor of the twelve apostles. 

1411. The term elder was also used to designate the presiding minister or 
bishop of a particular church. 

1412. TVliy is the absence of the apostle Johns name from 
the first of his three ejpistles no proof that he did not 
write it ? 

Because it was rather a characteristic of the beloved disciple 
to omit the mention of his own name, as may be observed in 
the gospel according to St. John, where, when speaking of 
himself, he calls himself "the disciple." 

1413. W7i7/ was the epistle of St. Jude icritten ? 
Because of certain heresies broached by the Simonians, 

Nicolaites, and Gnostics. The apostle condemns these innovators, 
and describes their doings in very strong terms, exhorting the 
faithful followers of Christ to contend earnestly for the faith 
first delivered to them, and to beware of false teachers. 

1414. Erom a passage in verse 17, this epistle would seem to have been penned 
when all the apostles, except perhaps St. John, had " entered into their rest," for he 
speaks of the period at which he addresses his readers, as the last time, or the latter 
days, foretold by the other apostles. 

In connection with the history of St. Jude, a very interesting account is given 
by Eusebius (Hist. EccL, lib, iii. cap. 20) of the examination of two nephews of the 
apostle by the emperor Domitian, A.c. 95-96, It is as follows: — 

"This Domitian feared the coming of Christ, as Herod did, and therefore 
commanded all in Jewry, who were known to be of the stock of David to be killed. 
There were remaining alive at that time certain of the Lord's kindred, nephews of 



308 TH2 BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



The Book of EeTclation, 

Jude, who was called our Lord's brother after the flesh. When the commissary 
had brought these up before Domitian, the emperor demanded of them whether 
they were of the stock of David, "Which, when they had granted, he asked again 
what possessions and substance they had. They answered that they both had no 
more between them, in all, but nine and thirty acres of ground; and how they got 
their living and sustained their families with the hard labours of their hands; 
showing forth their hands unto the emperor, being hard and rough, worn with 
labours, to witness that to be true which they had spoken. Then the emperor 
inquired of them concerning the kingdom of Christ, what manner of kingdom it 
was, how and when it should appear ? They answered, that his kingdom was no 
worldly nor terrene thing, but an heavenly and angelical kingdom, and that it 
should appear in the consummation and end of the world, what time He, coming 
in glory, should judge the quick and the dead, and render to every one according to 
Ms deservings. Domitian, the emperor, hearing this (as the saying is), did not 
condemn them, but despising them as vile persons, let them go, and also stayed the 
persecution against the Christians, They being thus discharged and dismissed, 
afterward had the government of churches, being taken for martyrs, and as of the 
Lord's kindred; and so continued in good peace till the time of Trajan." — (Foxe's 
translation.) 

1415. What was the hook of Enoch quoted hy the apostle 
Jude in his epistle ? (Verse 14.) 

It is doubtful wliether the words quoted in tliis epistle were 
taken from an actual writing then or formerly in existence, or 
whether a knowledge of them had been handed down to the 
apostolic days by tradition. Many ancient writers mention an 
apocryphal book of the prophecies of Enoch, yet St. John might 
know them from the immediate inspiration of God. 

1416. This work is undoubtedly lost. Alleged copies of the book of Enoch exist 
at Paris and Kome. The book was never received into the canon, i. e., among those 
about which no reasonable doubt exists, but has been ranked with the deutero- 
canonical or apocryphal books. 

1417. JBy whom was tlie hooTc of Revelation written ? 

By the apostle St. John, who, being banished by the Emperor 
Domitian to the island of Patmos, received these extraordinary 
communications from heaven, and wrote the book there. 

1418. St. John's own account says that, being an exile for the truth of the gospel 
in the said island, the Eevelations were made to him immediately from God, or 
immediately through angelic messengers, that he was directed to WTite them in a book, 
and to transmit them to certain persons or churches. In the first, second, and third 
chapters are contained the instructions and exhortations which St. John was com- 
manded to write to the seven bishops (or angels) of the churches of Asia. The 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 309 



The Kevelation. 



remaining chapters contain prophetical matters referring to the afflictions of the 
Christian Church, and to the end of the world. The Eevelations were written in 
Greek. 

This sublime but mysterious book was very generally, if not universally ascribed 
to the apostle John during the first two centuries ; and when this began to be 
questioned in the third century, it was evidently in consequence of certain 
erroneous explanations of particular parts which led to expectations, the disappoint- 
ment of which disposed men for a time to doubt the authority of the predictions on 
which they had been founded. The doubts which were about this time entertained 
were however soon removed ; and although the book was not publicly read in the 
early Christian churches, this was from its mysterious character, rather than from 
any doubt of the authority which it claimed. — (Kitto's "Pictorial Bible.") 

1419. Will/ have so many various interpretations been jput 
upon the prophetical portions of the hooh of the Revelations ? 

]. Because of the very dark and symbolical language in 
wliicL. it is couched. 2. Because of the great interest which 
such a book would naturally excite, referring, as it evidently does, 
to the end of the world — the final judgment — the state of the 
saints in heaven — the reprobate souls, etc., etc. 

1420. With regard to the interpretation of the book of Eevelation, St. Jerome 
says that it contains " as many mysteries as words, or rather mysteries in every 
word." (Epis. ad Paulm. t. 4, p. 574, edit. Benedict.) The connection of sublime 
and prophetical ideas, which comprise this work, has at all times been a labyrinth 
in which the greatest geniuses have lost themselves, and a rock on which most com- 
mentators have split, the great Sir Isaac Newton not excepted. Scaliger praises 
Calvin by saying, "He was too wise to write about the Kevelation." However, 
there have been more dissertations written upon the subject than perhaps upon any 
other connected with the Scriptures. That the writers differ widely in tlieir inter- 
pretations, can be a matter of no surprise, when it is seen that St. Jerome the 
compiler of the Vulgate, and Calvin, equally despair of affording a true solution. 

1421. Where is the island of Patinos, to which St. John was 
banished, and in which he received the " Revelation" ? 

It is situate in the Icarian Sea, about thirty miles distant 
from the nearest part of the western coast of Asia Minor. 

1422. It is at present called Patino. On account of its stern and desolate cha- 
racter, the Eoman emperors made it a kind of penal settlement, or at least a place 
to which State criminals might be appropriately sent. To this island accordingly 
the apostle was banished by Domitian towards the end of his reign, or about the 
year a. c. 95. It is stated, v.pon the authority of Tertullian, that this banishment 
took place after the apostle had been miiaculously delivered unhurt f'om a vessel of 
flaming oil, into which he had been cast. 



310 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY 



The Kevelation. 



1423. Why are the heads of the leaders of the seven churches 
designated angels ? 

Because in the proplietic style everything is called an angel 
that notifies a message from God, or executes the will of God. 

1424. Both the Hebrew and the Greek words signify messenger. But in the 
Scriptures a prophetic dream is called an angel (although occasionally we find 
that real manifest angels, that is, spirits in a partly human form, appeared) . The 
pillar of fire that went before the Israelites is called God's angel. The winds and 
flames of fire are angels to us when used by God to teach us, or as rods to punish us. 
The angel of a nation denotes its king or ruler. The angels of the churches 
were no other than the ecclesiastical ministers set over them — whether bishoi)S, 
priests, or elders. It is to be understood that the admonitions addressed to the 
angels of the seven churches applied to the members of those churches rather than, 
if at all, to the ministers. 

1425. Why is our Saviour called Alpha and Omega — the 
beginning and the end ? (Hev. i. 8, xxi. 6.) 

Because the former, alpha, the first letter of the Greek 
alphabet, derived from aleph the first of the Hebrew alphabet, 
stands for one, or " the first ;" omega is the last or concluding 
letter. 

1426. Our Lord is called alpha and omega, which is equivalent to saying that he 
is the beginning and the end of both the divine dispensations. Besides this, the 
Hebrew aleph, A, signifies chief (Gen. xxxvi.), leader, guide, or conductor ; a friend 
on whom reliance may be placed. Taking it in the former, which is the most general 
and usual sense, it applies very expressively to our Lord Chi'ist. Moreover, as it is 
a thought after the Jewish manner, it forms one of the arguments for the " Eevela- 
tion" being written by a person of that nation, as such a thought would not have 
occurred to a stranger who might have attempted the forgery. — (Calmet.) 

1427. Who was meant hy *' the angel of the Church of 
Ephesus ? 

Timothy, St. Paul's disciple, was made first bishop of 
Ephesus by the apostle, who laid his hands upon him. If it 
be true that Timothy did not die till a. c, 97, it can scarcely 
be denied that he was the person to whom a reprimand is 
addressed. (E-ev. ii. 1 — 5.) — (Calmet.) 

1428. Bossuet says, " We must not suppose the faults which are reproved by 
St. John, to belong individually to Timothy, but to some members of the 
Ephesian church." 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



311 



The Seven Churches. 



Ephesus, a celebrated city of Ionia, in Asia Minor, was principally remarkable 
for its temple of Diana, the magnificence of which attracted an infinite resort 
of strangers. The coin of 
Ephesus annexed, is taken 
from Calmet. It represents 
the temple, or shriDe of 
Diana, enthroned in her 
famous sanctuary. The 
style of the medal may give 
some idea of the craft of 
Demetrius, mentioned Acts 
xix. 24, who was a maker 
of silver shrines and images; 
models of this temple ; and 
doubtless of other emblems 
attendant on her. With 
regard to the figure repre- 
senting Diana, it will be ob- 
served that her head is sur- 
rounded with a glory ; on 
its top is the modius whence 
issues a flower. She has many breasts, 
nature. 




COIN OF EPHESUS. 

idleating the many nutritive powers of 



1429. Who zcet^e the Nicolaitanes {mentioned Eev. ii. 6) ? 
They formed an infamous sect, who disturbed the rising 

church by the superstitions and all the impurities of 
paganism. (St. Aug. de Heeresib.) 

1430. The Nicolaitanes were rather numerous in Asia during the first century. 
They claimed to be founded by Nicholas the deacon ; but this person was a devout 
man, one of the first seven deacons of whom St. Stephen was one, and is not to be 
blamed for their malpractices. In opposition to the plain directions given by the 
first council at Jercsalem, they chose to eat meat that had been oflTered to idols, 
and were very lax upon the matter of fornication. It is true that they pretended to 
exorcise the meat, but fornicators were always forgiven eight days after the off'ence 
had been committed. The fathers universally looked upon the Nicolaitanes as 
libertines. 

1431. WJio toas the an^el of the cliiirch of Smyrna'^ 
(Rev. ii. 8—10.) 

Ifc is generally supposed to have been Poly carp (called 
St. Poly carp in the Martyrologies), who wao made bishop of 
that church by the apostle John. 

1433. The commendations given to the angel of the church of Smyrna a ree 
with what is known otherwise of this great martvr, and ifc is observable that the 



312 TDE BIBLICAL EEaSOISI WHY. 



The Seven Churches. 



letter contains no reproach. Calmet adds, "There is some probability that the 
martyrdom of St. Germanicus and others of Smyrna, who suffered under Marcus 
AureHus, was what St. John had in view when he says— i. e., on the part of Jesus 
Christ — the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried ; and \ e 
shall have tribulation ten days ; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a 
crown of life." The situation of Smyrna is well known ; it is a city of Asia Minor, 
on the Archipelago. 

1433. Who was the angel of the church of Pcrgamos ? 
(Eer. ii. 12.) 

Eusebius says that this bishop's name was Corpas. He is 
commended in the text for his faithfulness, althou-h his see 
is designated as Satan's seat. 

1434. Pergamos was a considerable city of Troas, or the region wherein the 
ancient city of Troy had stood, or Phrygia. It is celebrated as the place where 
parchment was first made; hence the tevv[i pergamena. The Nicolaitanes were here 
in great force. The doctrine of these heretics is pointed out in verse 14, and 
compared with the sin of Balaam. (N"um. xxiv. and xxxi. 16.) 

1435. Who was the Antipas mentioned, in connection with 
the church of Pergamos, as the ''faithful martyr"? (Rex. 
ii. 13.) 

He was one of the first disciples of our Saviour ; his " acts" 
relato that he suffered death by being burned in a brazen 
bull.— (Calmet.) 

1436. Who was the angel of the church of Thyatira ? 
Opinions are divided upon this matter, and it cannot with 

any certainty be said who this person was. 

1437. Thyatira was a city of Asia Minor. The term Jezebel is understood to 
denote figuratively a very wicked woman, who used her beauty and influence in 
connection with the Mcolaitanes to corrupt and pervert the faithful Christians of 
that church. Some very powerful arguments, if any are wanting, in favour of the 
divinity of Jesus Christ, are to be drawn from the verses addressed to the church at 
Thyatira. The attributes of the Son of G-od in verses 18, 19, are such as belong 
only to God himself. God alone is the searcher of hearts ; He alone can give people 
"space to repent" (ver. 21). He alone can give the saints "power over the 
nations," " to rule them with a rod of iron." and to break opposing powers to 
a'.oms, "as the vessels of a potter" are broken to shivers. 

1438. Who was the angel of the church of Sardis ? 

The bishop of this church is not known by name. There 
was a Christian writer of the name of Melito, who presided 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 313 



The Seven Churches. 



over this church during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, about 
A.c. 170 or 175. The person above alluded to was most 
probably his predecessor. 

1439. Why his rame has not come down to us is probably due to the fact, that 
he did not merit any great commendation. His works were " not found xDerfect 
before G-od" (Eev. iii. 2). Sardis was a city of Asia Minor, formerly the capital 
of CrcEsus, king of the Lydians. 

1440. TF/iO ivas the angel of the churcli of Philadelphia / 
It was most probably Quadratus, a disciple of the apostles, 

and the author of a written apology for the Christian religion, 
presented to the Emperor Adrian. 

1441. There were several towns bearing the name of Philadelphia. Tliis 
was a city of Mysia, in Asia Minor. 

1442. Who teas the angel of the church of the Laodiceans ? 
It is not known at present what the name of this bishop 

was, and this is probably for the same reason that those of some 
others are not remembered, namely, that the bearers of them 
did not merit that distinction. 

1443. There are several cities bearing the name of Laodicea. The one in 
question was of Phrygia, on the river Lycus, near Colossae. Its ancient name was 
Diospolis, afterwards Khoas. Lastly, Antiochus, son of Stratonice, rebuilt it, and 
called it Laodicea, from the name of his wife Laodice. 

1444. Why is the toord " Amen " applied as a name or title 
to the Almighty ? (Eev. iii. 14.) 

Because in Hebrew it signifies " true," " faithful," " certain." 
Christ here takes the title of " The Amen," as if he said, " I 
am the truth." 

1445. What is meant hy " a hook loritten loithin and on 
the hachside'' ? (Hev. v. 1.) 

Books were then skins, membranes, or parchments ; and 
when written on both sides part of the writing appeared, 
though they Were rolled up. 

1446. Why was the hooJc sealed with seven seals ? (Eev. 
V. 1.) ■ 

To signify that it contained mysteries and secrets of 
high importance. 

14 



314 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Notes on the Eevelation. 



1447. According to Pliny, at Eome testaments were null and void without 
the testatoi-'s seal, and the seals of seven witnesses. 

1448. IVk;^ is it said that tlie number of the children of 
Israel saved, or signed tuith the inarJc of the Divine accejptance, 
was "a hundred and forty four thousand" 1 (E-ev. vii. 4.) 

Venerable Bede, in liis commentary, thus explains the 
meaning of this passage: — 

1449. " The number of one hundred and forty-four thousand is not to be taken 
in a literal and strict sense, but to express in general terms the great number of the 
elect ; for it appears that the ti-ibe of Dan, which must have produced some elect, is 
not mentioned, and the tribe of Joseph is put in lieu of that of Ephraim j so that if 
it be supposed that these numbers must be taken literally, the tribe of Joseph 
would have produced a double number to that of any other tribe, since Manasseh 
was his son, and the tribe of Dan would have produced none." 

1450. Why are the blessed in heaven represented as clothed 
in white garments ? (Rev. vii. 9.) 

1. Because they denoted holiness and purity of life. 2. 
They were tokens of joy and pleasure. 3. In the prophetic 
style they indicated prosperity and success. 

1451. Thus Pharaoh honoured Joseph by arraying him in vestures of fine linen. 
And in Eev. xix, 8, fine linen is interpreted to mean the righteousness of saints, as 
well as a mark of honour. The bride is said to be arrayed in it, " clean and white," 
in allusion to the custom of Eastern nations. It was used in the patriarchal times, 
also among both the Greeks and Eomans. In the primitive church, persons, so soon 
as baptized, received new and white garments, in token of their being cleansed from 
all past sing, and as an emblem of that innocence and purity to which they had then 
bound themselves. They were called eancZtc^aii from eandidus, "white," and hence 
our English word candidate. These garments were worn for seven days (from 
Easter-day tiU the following Sunday, most commonly), and then laid up as an 
evidence against them if they ever revolted against their holy profession. Hence 
also to defile one's garments is to fall from one's baptismal vow and engage- 
ments. 

1452. Why is such frequent reference made to Babylon in 
the Sevelation ? 

Because under that term was implied the whole united 
poTcr of opposition to Christ's Church until the end of 
time. 

1453. That by Babylon is also meant pagan Eome most commentators agree. 
The first or literal Babylon was the beginner and supporter of idolatry and tyranny : 
first by Nimrod, or Ninus, and afterwards by Nebuchadnezzar ; and therefore 



THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY. 315 

Xotes on. the Eevelation. 

she is by laaiah accused of magical enchantments from her youth or ini'ancy, 
t. c, from her very first origin, as a city or nation. This city and its ■whole empire 
were taken by the Persians under Cyrus. The Persians -were subdued by the Mace- 
donians (or Greeks), and the latter by the Eomans ; so that Kome succeeded to the 
power of old Babylon. ^Tor did she succeed to the power only; by adopting the 
idolatries of the conquered nations she added their sins to her own. 

1454. Whi/ is Safan, in vai'ious parts of the Neio Testament, 
called " the prince of the poioer of the air" ? 

Because the povrer of the air signifies that government and 
dominion which is exercised by evil spirits, who have their 
habitation assigned them in the air above us, and who are 
represented in Scripture as subject to one who is the head or 
prince over them, the author of their apostasy from Grod, and 
their leader in their rebellion against him. 

1455. It was the opinion of Pythagoras that the air was fuU of souls or spirits. 
This opinion would have little weight with Christians ; but the Jews also behcTed 
that, from the earth to the firmament, all things were full of these companies or 
rulers, and that there was a prince over them who was called the governor of the 
world, that is, of the darkness. Our Saviour endorses this opinion when saying to 
his apostles, in answer to their congratulations, that the evil spirits were subjected 
to them, " Rejoice not that the evil spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice 
that your names are written in heaven. 

1456. Why does the Bible conclude with the ivord ''Amen "? 
Because by that word is expressed a full and hearty 

concurrence with all that has gone before. 

1457. AMEif is a Hebrew word which, when prefixed to an assertion, signifies 
assxMredly, certainly, or emphatically so it is; but when it concludes a prayer, so be it, 
or so let it be, is its manifest import. In the former case it is assertive, or assures of 
a truth or a fact. It is an asseveration, and is properly translated indeed. In the 
latter case it is petitionary, and as it were epitomizes all the requests with which it 
stands connected. This emphatic term was used among the Hebrews by the whole 
congregation at once, and from St. Jerome we learn that a similar method 
prevailed with the early Christians. 

isOTE o:n" the EEVELATIOK 
1453. Appended are some paragraphs elucidatory of a few of the phrases or sym- 
bolical expressions scattered over the concluding book of the Ifew Testament. They 
vriU be found extremely interesting; for others the reader is referred to Daubuz's 
" Symbolical Dictionary," edited by Wemyss. 

Book; op Life, (Eev. iii. 5.) 
It is recorded among the military customs of the Eomans, that " the names 
of those who died or were cashiered for misconduct were expunged from the 
muster-roU." Hence the words, '■' I will blot his name out of the book of life." 



316 THE BISLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Supplementaiy ChaxDter. 



The White Stone. 

In Kev. ii. 17, it says, " To him that overcometh wiR I give to eat of the hidden 
manna, and will give him a white stone." The most ancient way among the Greeks 
of giving sentence in courts of judicature was by black and white pebbles ; the black 
were for condemnation, the whit j for acquittal. The like was done in popular 
elections. Hence a white stone became the emblem of absolution in judgment, 
and of conferring honours and rewards. 

The White House. (Eev. vi. 2.) 

" And I saw, and behold a white horse." White horses were formerly used in 
triumphal processions, or as tokens of victory. To see a white horse in reality, or 
even in a dream, was accounted a happy omen by both the Jews and Romans. — 
(Dr. Kitto.) 

Makes upoit the Fokehead. (Rev. vii. 3.) 

It was a custom traceable to the remotest antiquity to affix marks, either 
delibly or indelibly, upon the forehead. These marks are alluded to in Ezek. xi. 4, 
where the Almighty commands his angels to " go through the midst of the city, and 
set a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh for the abominations committed in 
the midst thereof." Among the G-reeks and Romans, and in Eastern countries, the 
practice has always obtained. The Brahminical forehead markings are well known, 
probably the phylactery or parchment inscription worn on the forehead by the 
Pharisees were an amplification of this practice. With the decadence of the Jewish 
ceremonial the markings ceased, but among the primitive Christians it was 
customary to mark a cross with water (as in baptism) upon the forehead. 



CHAPTEE XIL 

SUPPLEMEIN"TAEY. 

1459. What is meant hy a father of the Church ? 

The appellation is given to several of the most eminent 
among the early Christians, who, under the character of 
patriarchs, bishops, or doctors, were instrumental, under Divine 
providence, in establishing and consolidating the primitive 
church. 

1460. In lohat ivay did these primitive fathers conduce to 
the estahlishment of Christianity iii the world ? 

In various ways : — By witnessing, sometimes to death, to 
the truths they Lad received, either personally from the apostles 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 317 



Supplementary Chapter. 

or indirectly from tliose who succeeded them ; by combating 
and refuting heresies ; by interpreting difficult portions of the 
sacred Scriptures; or by writing or compiling commentaries 
upon them. 

1461. The chief of these fathers are as hereunder enumerated; they are not 
placed in a strict chronological order, but according to their relative importance. 

1462. W/io tvas SL AtJianasius? 

He was a native of Alexandria, in which city he was born 
about the year 296. 

1463. His parents were heathens, but Alexander, the bishop of his native city, 
took him under his patronage, and carried him to the council of Nice, where he 
distinguished himself with such energy against the Arians, that on the death of his 
protector, in 326, he was chosen his successor, though no more than twenty-eight 
years of age. He had been greatly persecuted by the Arians before his consecra- 
tion, and now their rage against him was redoubled, particularly as he refused to 
admit their leader into the church, though commanded to do so by Constantine. 
The Ai-ians raised against him various false accusations, and at length succeeded in 
getting him banished. On the death of the emperor he returned to Alexandria, 
where he was received with great joy. But when Constantius came to the throne, 
the Arians renewed their persecutions, on which Athanasius fled to Eome, 
where Pope Julius espoused his cause, and by his good offices got him reinstated in 
his bishopric. At the end of Julian's reign he was driven again into exile, but on the 
accession of Jovian he was restored and continued to enjoy his seat unmolested 
tiU his death in 371.— (Watkin's Biog. Die.) 

Athana^us was an eminent instrument in maintaining the truth in an age when 
errors affecting the great foundations of our faith were urged with great subtilty. 
The Scripture doctrine of the Trinity, as explained by him, at length triumphed 
over the heretics, which at one time met with so much support and sanction; and 
the views of Athanasius have be6n received in substance by aU orthodox churches 
to the present time.— (Biog. Univers.) 

1464. Who was St. Chrysostoml 

He was born at Antioch, about a.d. 344. He was of a noble 
family, and his father, wliose name was Secundus, was a 
general of cavalry. 

1465. The name of Chrysostom, which signifies golden mouth, he acquu-ed by 
his eloquence. He has also been called the Homer of orators, and compared to the 
sun. ^ Successful at the bar, for which he was educated, he quitted it to become 
for six years an ascetic. Yfhen he emerged from his retirement, he became a 
preacher, and gained such high reputation for his piety and oratorical talents, that 
he was raised to be patriarch of Constantinople, a.d. 398. At length he incurred 
the hatred of the empress Eudoxia, and was sent into exile, in which he died 
A.D. 407. 



318 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

Supplementary Chapter. 

1466. Who was St. Augtcstine, or St. Austin ? 

He was born at Tagasta, in Africa, in 354. His father was a 
plebeian, and his mother, Monica, a woman of exemplary 
piety. 

1467. ThougTi he had all the advantages of a good education he spent most of his 
early years in debauchery. In 371 his father sent him to Carthage, where he led the 
same dissipated life, and became a disciple of the Manichees.* In 330 he taught 
rhetoric at Carthage with great reputation, but still contiaued a disreputable life. 
His mother took uncommon pains to bring him bade to virtue, but finding all her 
efforts ineffectual, she had recourse to prayer. Wearied with his situation in 
Africa, Augustin removed to Eome, where he taught eloquence with great ai^plause, 
and in 388 was appointed professor of rhetoric at Milan. Here the sermons of St. 
Ambrose having effected a conversion, he renounced his heretical notions, and was 
baptized in 387. The next year he returned to Africa, and was ordained priest. He 
was at first coadjutor to Valerius, bishop of Hippo, and afterwards his successor. 
In the government of his diocese he was most exemplary, and he distinguished him- 
self with great zeal against the Manichaeana and Pelagians.f His controversies 
with the last procured him the title of doctor of grace. In 428 the Yandals, under 
Genseric, having invaded the country, Augustin was advised to fly ; but he refused, 
and was carried off by a fever during the seige of Hippo in 430. 

His writings have always been held in great veneration, and are the foundation 
of what is called scholastic divinity. Nor has his fame and esteem been confiued to 
one nation or confession. They are the common property of the whole Christian 
world. His work on the City of God, and his Confessions, have often been 
translated. 

1468. Who was St. Ambrose? 

He was a native of France, having been born in 340 at Aries 
in Gallia Narbonensis, of which province his father was then 
lieutenant under the empire. 



* So called from Manes, the founder of the sect. He obtained the tenets that 
made his name famous from the books of Scythianus, an Arabian, who maintained 
two co-eternal principles, one good and the other evil. He jumbled various heresies 
together, and made a new one of his own out of them. He pretended to have 
miraculous powers of healing ; but failing to cure the son of a certain king of 
Persia — as he had promised to do — he was by the truculent monarch flayed aHve and 
his body given to the dogs, i.e. 278. — (Mosheim.) 

t Pelagius, the originator of the heresy bearing his name, was a British monk, 
whose real name was Morgan, which he changed for the Greek equivalent Pelagius, 
meaning " born of the sea." In 400 he went to Kome, where he opposed Augustine 
on the subjects of grace, original sin, and election. The works written by him in 
defence of his views upon these subjects were condemned by the councU of 
Carthage. — (Dupin.) 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 319 



Supplementary Chapter, 



14G9. He lost this parent at an early age, but his mother gave him a most 
excellent education, which he duly impi-oved. While yet a youth he pleaded causes 
with so much eloquence as to be hosen by Probus, the prefect of Italy, one of his 
council. The same friend nominat d him governor of Milan, where he conducted him- 
self with great satisfaction five years, when a singular event occurred which com- 
pletely altered his state of life. In 374 Auxentius, bishop of Milan, died, and so 
fierce was the contest in the election of a successor to the vacant see, that the 
governor was called upon to quell the dissension. 

This he attempted by persuasion in the great church, and with such eloquence, 
that a voice from the crowd exclaimed, " Ambrose is bishop." The saying was 
scarcely uttered, than it reverberated through the whole building, on which Ambrose 
in great surprise retired. This circumstance, according to the spirit of the age, 
was considered as of divine direction, and Ambrose was declared to be the 
object not only of the popular choice, but of that of heaven. 

After many struggles against it, Ambrose was under the necessity of yielding, on 
which he divided aU his property between the Church and the poor. At that time 
Arianism* prevailed greatly under the protection of the Empress Justina, mother 
of young Valentiniau ; but the new bishop, unbiassed by fear or favour, opposed the 
heresy with the utmost firmness, nor would he suffer its professors to take possession 
of a church at Milan, though an imperial order to that purpose was sent with a 
military force to compel obedience. Ambrose was also much troubled with the 
Pagans,! who attempted to restore their former worship, in which they were success- 
fully resisted by the Bishop of Milan. When Maximius invaded Italy, Ambrose, at 
the desire of the Empress Justina, endeavoured by his eloquence to put a stop to his 
progress, but in vain. Theodosius, however, was more fortunate by his arms, and 
succeeded in relieving Valentinian, who afterwards renounced the Arian heresy. At 
the beginning of the reign of Theodosius in the west, a circumstance occurred which 
diffused a brilliant splendour aroimd the character of Ambrose. During the resi- 
dence of that emperor at Milan, a tumult arose at Thessalonica, in which some of 
the imperial officers were slain. Theodosius hearing this, immediately ordered that 
a general massacre should take place at Thessalonica; of which Ambrose being 
apprised, he instantly repaired to the emperor, remonstrated with him on his 
barbarity, and prevailed on him to promise that the command shoidd be revoked. 
Instead of this, however, the mandate was carried into execution, and seven 
thousand persons perished. Ambrose on this charged the emperor with being 
guilty of murder and a breach of faith, nor would he suffer Mm to enter the church 
till after a public penance, and signing a declaration that no warrant for capital 
judgments should be executed tiU thirty days had elapsed from the signing of it, in 



* So called, from Arius of Alexandria, the author, or at least the principal 
defender, of that species of heresy which denies the divinity of Jesus Christ. He 
was born and died in the fourth century. 

t The word Pagan now first came into use. Pagans, or pagani, meant 
" dwellei-s in the villages," " country people." The great majority of the dwellers 
in towns and cities had, outwardly at least, embraced Christianity, but the ruder or 
less polished people were stiU under the dominion of the old heathenism. At the time 
of St. Ambrose, tb srefbre, villager and heathen meant the same thing. 



320 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 



Supplementary Chapter. 

order that there might be time for reconsideration and mercy. St. Ambrose died 
in 397. The hjonn "Te Deumlaudamus," of his composition, has been universally 
adopted in the liturgies of the Church. — (Cave.) 

1470. Who was Origen ? 

He was one of the fathers of the Church, born in 185, at 
Alexandria, and studied philosophy under Clemens Alexan- 
drinus. Being persecuted by his diocesan, Demetrius, he 
went to Csesarea, and afterwards to Athens. During the per- 
secution of Decius, he was imprisoned and tortured. He died 
in 253. 

1471. His great works are the Hexapla, Commentaries on the Scriptures, and 
a treatise against Celsus. In his Commentaries he is said to have indulged to an 
extreme his taste for allegory. Some of the doctrines advanced by him have been 
condemned — for instance, one asserting the pre-existence of souls. The most 
esteemed of his works is that against Celsus, an Epicurean philosopher of the second 
century. ' 

1472. Who was St. Ci/ril? 

He was a father of the Church, who flourished in the first 
half of the fourth century. 

1473. He was born at Jerusalem, A.c. 315, ordained presbyter in 345, and after 
the death of Maximus in 350, became patriarch of Jerusalem. Being a zealous 
Trinitarian, he engaged in a warm controversy with Acacius, the Arian bishop of 
Caesarea. His adversary accused him of having sold some valuable church ornaments, 
which he had indeed done ; but for the laudable purpose of supporting the starving 
inhabitants of Jerusalem during a famine. jS'ot satisfied with this, Acacius assembled 
a council at Caesarea in 357, which took it upon itself to depose Cyril. But the 
council of Seleucia, held two years after, restored him to his see. The very next 
year Acacius, by his intrigues, succeeded again in deposing the patriarch : but he was 
again restored to his see by the emperor Constantius. Valens, the Arian emperor, on 
ascending the throne, deposed Cyril the third time ; and it was not until after the 
death of Valens that Cyril was allowed to return to Jerusalem. He was confirmed 
in his see by the council of Constantinople, in 381, and filled it till his death in 386. 
Of his writings there remain twenty-three catecheses, written in a style of clearness 
and simplicity which are esteemed the oldest and best outline of Christian doctrine. 

1474. Who was St. Cyprian? 

He was bishop of Carthage, and was born a.c. 200, of a 
respectable family, and was for some years teacher of rhetoric 
in that city. 

1476. His reputation in that office was great ; but his habits were loose and 
expensive. At the age of 46 he was converted to Christianity j upon which he gave 



THE BIBLICAL EEASON AVHY . 321 



Supplementary Chapter. 

his property to the poor, and reduced his living to abstemiousness. The Cfturch in 
Carthage soon chose him a presbyter, and in 24S, bishop. In this station he acqim-ed 
an exalted character, and became the idol of both clergy and jjeople. During the 
persecution imder Decius he fled, but stiU exhorted his people to constancy in ths 
faith. In 257, he was banished to Churubis, and the next year was beheaded. His 
only crime was preaching the gospel in his garden near Carthage. Cyprian is an 
eloquent writer, though with somewhat of the hardness of his master Tertullian. 
An explanation of the Lord's prayer by him, and eighty-one of his epistles are extant. 

1476. Who toas Si. Basil? 

Basil, called tlie Great, to distinguish him from other 
Greek patriarchs of the same name, was born in 329, at 
Csesarea in Cappadocia. After having studied at Athens, 
he for a while taught rhetoric, and practised at the bar In 
370 he was made bishop of Ceesarea, where he died in 379. 

1477. He is the most distinguished ecclesiastic among the Greek patriarchs. 
His efforts for the regulation of clerical discipline, of the divine service, and of the 
standing of the clergy, the number of his sermons, the success of his mild treatment 
of the Arians and above all, his endeavours for the promotion of a holy life, for 
which he prepared rules, prove the extent of his influence. The Greek church 
honours him as one of its most illustrious patrons. 

1478. WJio loas St. Hilary? 

He was a father of the Church, born at Poictiers in France, 
and educated in the Pagan religion, which he renounced when 
grown up to years of judgment. 

1479. In 355 he was made bishop of Poictiers, in which situation he distinguished 
himself by his zeal for the orthodox faith against the Arians ; for which he was 
banished to Phrygia, where he continued four years, and employed himself in writing 
his books on the Trinity, and other works. On his return to France he continued to 
exert himself in vindication of the doctrines of the church, till his death in 367. The 
best edition of his works is that of Paris, folio, 1693. He is to be distinguished from 
Hilaiy, bishop of Aries, who died in 449. 

1480. Who was St. IrencBus? 

He was a native of Greece, and the disciple of Polycarp, 
by whom it is supposed he was sent into Gaul, He was at 
first a priest in the church of Lyons, and on the martyrdom of 
Pothinus, in 174, succeeded him in that bishopric. 

1431. He had a disputation with Valentinus at Eome, and held a council at 
Lyons, in which the Gnostic heresy was condemned. Irenseus was a great lover ot 
peace, and laboured to aUay the controversy respecting the time of celebrating Eastev, 
Jle was beheaded at Lyons in the persecution under Severus, about a.c. 202. 

15* 



322 THE BIBLICAL EEA30N WHY. 



Supplementary Chapter. 

1482. Who loas SL Jerome ? 

Jerome, one of tlie most learaed and productive authors of 
the early Latin church, was born about 331, in Dalmatia, of 
wealthy parents, educated with care in literary studies, and 
made familiar with the Eoman and Greek classics under the 
grammarian Donatus, at E/Ome. 

14.S3. He did not escape the contaminating licentiousness of the capital ; but his 
feelings were excited by the catacombs and tombs of the martyrs, and becoming in- 
clined towards the Christian faith, he became acquainted with several of its preachers 
in Gaul, and on the Khine, and was baptised before his fortieth year at Rome. 

Having formed a high idea of the ascetic life, he retired in 374 into the deserts 
of Chalcis, where for four years he practised the severest mortifications, and applied 
himself to the most laborious studies. He now obtained ordination as presbyter 
of Antioch, went soon after to enjoy the instruction of Gregory Nazianzen at Con- 
Btantinople ; and at length proceeded to Eome, where his public exposition of the 
Scriptures procured him great favour. Many leading families protected him, and 
MarceUa and Paula, two patrician ladies, were induced by him to devote themselves 
to rehgious and charitable works. In conjunction with them, Jerome founded a 
retreat at Bethlehem, where he died, a.d. 420. 

His biblical labours are highly valuable. His Latin version of the Old Testament 
from the original Hebrew is the foundation of the Vulgate, and his commentaries 
contain much useful matter. He was the only one of the fathers who seems to have 
thoroughly studied the Hebrew, whic'i be did, vnth the assistance of learned rabbins in 
Palestine. He engaged much in controversy ; on which occasions he displayed great 
ability, a most extensive knowledge of the ancient languages, and a glowing and 
lively imagination, which gave attraction to his style, and rendered him the most 
distinguished writer of his time. 

1484. W/io was Terhdlian? 

He was the first Latin writer of the primitive church 
whose writings have come down to us ; he was an African, and 
born at Carthage in the second century. His father was a 
aenturion in the troops which served under the proconsul of 
Africa. 

1495. Tertullian was at first a heathen, and a man of loose manners, as he himself 
owns in various parts of his works ; but he afterwards embraced the Christian 
rehgion, though it is not known when, or upon what occasion. He flourished chiefly 
under the reigns of the emperors Severus and Caracalla, from about the year 194 to 
216; and it is probable that he lived beyond the usual period allotted to man, since 
Jerome mentions a report of his having attained to a decrepit old aga, T!iere is no 
passage in his writings whence it can be concluded that he was a priest ; but Jerome 
affirms it so positively, that it cannot be dpubted. He had great abilities and 
learning, which he employed vigorously in the cause of Christianity, and against 
heathens find heretics ; but towards the latter part of his life he quitted the church 



THE BI3LIC.VL EEASOX WHY. 323 



Supplementary Chapter. 

to foUo'.T the Moatanists. Error, ho ■rvever, says a modern, ecclesiastical historian, is 
very inconstant, for Tertulliau afterwards left the Montanists, and formed a sect of 
his own called Tertulllanists, who continued in Africa till St. Augustine's time, by 
whose labours their existence as a distinct body was brought to a close. The time of 
his deathis nowhere mentioned. The peculiar characteristic of Tertullian's mind ap- 
pears to have been a gloomy austerity. He was very earnest, but his earnestness 
was pushed to severity, and led him to assertions and acts which were against pru- 
dence and reason. 

1486. TfOio was Justin, surnamed the Martyr ? 

He was one of the earliest of the f^ithers of the Church, 
and was born at J^Teapolis, the ancient Sichem of Samaria. 
He was brou^'ht up in the Pagan religion, and after studying 
in Egypt, embraced the platonic system, from which, in the 
year 132, he was converted to Christianity. 

1437. He contmued to wear the dress of a philosopher after his reception into 
the Christian fold. At the begiuuing of the reign of Antoninus Pius, he visited Rome, 
where he wrote against the heresy of Marcion,* and presented his first " Apology " 
for the Christian religion to the emperor (Trajan), who inconsequence of it adopted 
milder measures. 'Sot long after this Justin went into the East, and at Ephesus he 
had a conference with Trypho, an eminent Jew, of whii^k he nas left an interesting 
account in his works. On his return to Roma be en;^afrt*il vu a controversy with 
Crescens, a philosopher ; and he also presented another apoi^.gy for Christianity to 
Marcus Antoninus Philosophus ; but in this he was not so successful, as to its imme. 
diate results, as in the former. At the instigation of Crescens he was arrested and 
beheaded, a.c. 165. — (Dupin.) 

1488. Who was St. Gregory ? 

There were two principal ecclesiastical writers and bishops 
of that name. 

1. G-regory (Nazianzen) who was born in 321, at Nazianzem, 
in Cappadocia, of which place his father was bishop. He re- 
ceived an excellent education, which he improved at Athens, 
and here he formed an acquaintance with St. Basil, for whom lie 
officiated some time as reader of rhetoric. On his return home 
he was ordained ; soon after which he wrote poems to counter- 
act the designs of Julian, who had prohibited the Christians 
from teaching youth. 

* Marcion, a heretic of the second century, was born at Sinope, on the Euxine 
sea. His father was its bishop. He is called a mariner by Eusebius, but whether he 
followed the sea or not is uncertain. His life was far from regular, and his own father 
excommunicated him for seducing a young lady. Upon this he set up for a heretic, 
and a disciple of Cerdo, His principles were very similar to thisc of the Manichaaans, 
tPage 313, note.) 



324 THE BIBLICAL EEASON WHY. 

Supplementary Chapter. 

14S9. In 378 he went to Constantinople, wHere he was chosen bishop ; which ap- 
pointment was confirmed by Theodosius in 380. After filling this see some years, he 
resigned it, and returned to his native place, where he died in 389. His works have 
been printed in Greek and Latin, in two vols, foho, 

2. Gregory (Nyssen), the brother of St. Basil, and bisliop 
of Nyssa. He was a zealous defender of the orthodox faith 
against the Arians ; for which he was deposed and banislied by 
Valens. He still continued, liowever, to oppose that faction, 
and had a share in drawing up the Nicene Creed. He died in 
396. His works were printed in 1615, in two vols, folio. 

1490. W/io luas EuseUus? 

He was an ecclesiastical historian, and is supposed to have 
been born at Csesarea in 267. He took the surname of Pamphilus, 
from his friendship with that martyr, and received orders from 
Agapius, bishop of Csesarea, whom he succeeded in 315. He 
had a considerable share in tlie disputes relating to Arius, 
whose cause he at first defended ; but afterwards he assisted 
at the council of jN'ice, and subscribed the confession of faith 
drawn up by that assembly. 

1491. He was also at the councils of Tyre and Jerusalem, by which last he was 
deputed to go on a mission to Constantine, who honoured him with many marks 
of his favour. He died in 338 or 3410, 

1492. What was the origin of the Calendar ? 

It was the pious custom of the early Christians to celebrate 
yearly the memory of the martyrs on the days on which they 
suffered. On that day the martyr was considered to be born to a 
life of glory and immortality, and, with respect to that second life, 
it was called the day of his birth. The different churches there- 
fore were careful to preserve an exact account of the particular 
days on which the martyrs obtained the crown of martyrdom. 
The book which contained this account was called a Calendar. 

1493. At first the Calendar contained the mention of the martyrs only ; but in 
course of time, the confessors, or those who, without arriving at the crown of martyr- 
dom, had confessed their faith in Christ, by their heroic virtues, were admitted to the 
same honour. The calendars were preserved in the churches. Various editions of 
the calendars were pubhshed. The most famous one is by Joseph Allemani, and is 
entitled The Calendar of the Universal Church, illustrnied uith Notes, The Calendar 
nllixed to the "Common Prayer" is a compilation and abridgment froia various 
foreign, calendars. 

THE EXD. 



The attention of the Reader is directed 
to the following Specimen Pages of works 
by the Author of the Biblical Reason 
Why. 

THE EEASOX WHY: GEXEEAL SCIENCE. 
THE EEASON WHY: NATURAL HISTORY. 
THATS IT! OR, PLAIN TEACHING. 



DICK & FITZGERALD, 
No. 18 ANN STREET, NEW YORK 



'God looked down from heaveu upon the children of men, to see if thero 
were any that did understand, that did see God.'" — Pbalm litt. 



THE REASON WHY: 

GENERAL SCIENCE. 



CHAPTER I. 



1. Why should we seeh hnowledge ? 

Because it assists us to comprehend the goodness and poioer of 
God. 

And it gives us power over the circumstances and associations 
by which we are surrounded : the proper exercise of this power 
will g-reatly promote our happiness. 

2. TVhy does the possession of Jcnowledge enable ns to 
exercise power over surrounding circumstances ? 

Knowledge enables us to understand that, in order to live healthily, 
we require to breathe fresh and pure air. It also tells us that animal 
and vegetable substances, undergoing decay, poison the air, though 
we may not be able to see, or to smell, or otherwise discover the 
existence of such poison. Knowing this, we become careful to 
remove from our presence all such matters as would tend to corrupt 
the atmosphere. This is only one of the countless instances in 
which knowledge gives us power over surrounding circumstances. 

3. Name some other instances in ivhich hnoiol edge gives us 
■power. 

Knowledge of Geography and of Navigation enables the mariner 
to guide his ship across the trackless deep, and to reach the sought- 
for port, though he had never before been on its shores, 

knowledge of Chemistry enables us to separate or to combine the 
various substances found in nature. Thus we obtain useful and 



28 THE EEASON WHY. 



"<^ivQ instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teac'n a lust m»A 
^nd lie will increase in learning."— Peoveebs ix. 

precious metals from what at first appeared to be useless stones 
transparent glass from pebbles, through which no light could pass ; 
soap from oily substances ; and gas from solid bodies. 

Knowledge of Medicine enables the physician to overcome the 
ravages of disease, and to save suffering patients from sinking 
prematurely to the grave. 

Knowledge of Anatomy and of Surgery enables the surgeon to 
bind up dangerous fractures and wounds, and to remove, even from 
the internal parts of bodies, ulcers and diseased formations that 
would otherwise be fatal to life. 

Knowledge of Mechanics enables man to increase his power by 
the construction of machines. The steam-ship crossing the ocean 
in opposition to wind and tide, the railway locomotive travellmg at 
60 miles an hour, and the steam-hammer beating blocks of iron into 
useful shapes, are evidences of the power which man acquires through 
a knowledge of mechanics. 

Knowledge of Electricity enables man to stand in comparative 
safety amid the awful war of the elements. Lightning, the offspring 
of electricity, has a tendency to strike upon lofty objects by which 
it may be attracted. By its mighty powers churches or houses 
may be instantly levelled with the dust. But man, knowing that 
electricity is strongly attracted by particular substances, raises over 
lofty buildings rods of steel communicating with bars that descend 
into the ground. Tlie lightning, rushing with indescribable forco 
toward the steeple, is attracted by the bar of steel, and conducted 
harmlessly to the earth. Man may thus be said to take even light- 
ning by the hand, and to divert its' destroying force by the aid of 
Knowledge. And in countless other instances " Knowledge is 
Power." 



CHAPTER II. 

4. Why do we IreatJie air ? 

Because the air contains oxygen, which is necessary to life. 

5. Wliy is oxygen necessary to life ? 

Because it combines with the carbon of the blood, and fona* 
r.arh<y*ic acid gas. 



THE E£aSuX why. 25 



"Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding : whvAO 
mouth must be held with the bit and bridle."— PsAXii xxxii. 



6. Why is this comhination necessary ? 

Because we are so created tliat the substances of our bodies are 
constantly undergoing change, and this resolving of solid matter 
into a gaseous form, is the plan appointed by our Creator to remove 
the matter called carhon from our systems. 

7. Why do our lodies feel ivarm? 

Because, in the union of oxygen and carhon, heat is developed. 

8. What is this union of oxygen and carhon called? 

It is called combustion, which, in chemistry, means the decomposi- 
tion of substances, and the formation of new combinations, accom- 
panied by heat ; and sometimes by light, as well as heat. 

9. Wliat is formed hy the union of oxygen and carhon ? 
Carbonic acid gas. 

10. Wliat becomes of this carbonic acid gas? 

It is sent out of our bodies by the eompressure of the lungs, and 
mingles with the air that sm-rounds us. 

11. Is this carbonic acid gas heavier or lighter than the 
air ? 

Pure carbonic acid gas is the heaviest of all the gases. Tha-t 
which is sent out of the lungs is not pure, because the whole of the 
an- taken into the lungs at the previous inspiration has not beer 
deprived of its oxygen, and the nitrogen is returned. Therefore 
the breath sent out of the lungs may be said to consist of air, with 
a large proportion of carbonic acid gas. 

12. What is the comj^osilion of air in its natural state ? 

It consists of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbonic acid gas, in the 
proportions of oxygen 20 volumes, nitrogen 79 volumes, and car- 
bonic acid gas 1 volume. It also contains a slight trace of watery 
vapour. 

13. What is the state of the air after it has once been 
breathed ? 

It has parted with about one-sixth of its oxygen, and taken up an 
equivalent of cai-bonlc acid. And were the same air to be breatliod 



'S'v THE BEASCN WHY. 



' A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass oil, 
and ai-e punished."— Peovekes xxvii. 



six times successively, it would have parted with all its oxygen, and 
could no longer sustain life. 

14. Js tlie impure air sent out of the lungs ligliter or 
heavier tJian common air ? 

At first, being rarefied by warmth, it is ligliter. But, if undis- 
turbed, it would become heavier as it cooled, and would descend. 

15. Why is it proper to have leds raised about two feet 
from the ground ? 

Because at night, the bed-room being closed, the breath of the 
sleeper impregnates the air of the room with carbonic acid gas, 
^hich, descending, lies in its greatest density near to the floor. 

16. Wliat are the chief sourees of carionic acid gas ? 

The vegetable kingdom (as will be hereafter explained), the com- 
bustion of substances composed chiefly of carbon, the breathing of 
animals, and the decomposition of carbonic compounds. 

17. Is breathing a hind of comhustion? 

It is. In the breathing of animals, the burning of coals, or of 
wood, or candles, &c., similar changes occur. The oxygen of the 
air combines with the carhon of the substance said to be burnt, 
and forms carbonic acid gas, which unfits the air for the pur- 
poses of either breathing or of burning, until it has been rtnewed by 
admixture v/ith the air. 

18. What is carbon ? 

It is one of the elementary bodies, and is very abund^iit through- 
out nature. It abounds mostly in vegetable substances, but is also 
contained in animal bodies, and in minerals. The form in which 
it is most familiar to us is that of charcoal, which is carbon almost 
pure. 

19. What is meant by an elementary body ? 

An elementary body is one of those substances in whica chemistry 
is unable to discover more than one constituent. For instance, the 
chemist finds that water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen. 
Water is therefore a compound body. But carbon consists of carhon 
only, and therefore it is called a simple, or elementary body. 



THE EEASOJS' WHY. 3] 



'Where no wood is, tliere the fire goetli out: so wliere there is no tale* .-arer, 
the strife ceaseth."— Peoyeebs xxvi. 



20. Why is it dangerous to lurn charcoal in rooms ? 
Because, being" composed of carbon that is nearly pure, its com- 
bustion gives off a large amount of carbonic acid a as. 

21. What is the effect of carbonic acid gas uj^on the hwman 
system ? 

It induces drowsiness and stupor, which, if not relieved by 
ventilation, would speedily cause death. 

22. Wliat is thi reason that people feel drowsy in crowded 
rooms ? 

Because the large amount of carbonic acid gas given off with the 
breaths of the people, makes the air poisonous and oppressive. 

23. What other causes of drowsiness are tliere ? 

The candles, gas, or fires that may be burning in the rooms where 
people are assembled. Three candles produce as much carbonic 
acid gas as one human being ; and it is probable that one gas-light 
produces as much carbonic acid gas as two persons. 

24. Save people ever been poisoned by tlieir own breatlis ? 
In the reign of George the Second, the Rajah of Bengal took 

some English prisoners in Calcutta, and put 14G of them into a 
place which was called the "Black Hole." This place was only 18 
feet square by 16 feet high, and ventilation was provided for only 
by two small gi-ated windows. One hundred and ticenty -three of 
the prisoners died in tlie night, and most of the survivors were 
afterwards carried off by putrid fevers. Many other instances have 
occurred, but this one is the most remarkable. 



CHAPTER III. 

25. What is oxygen ? 

Oxygen is one of the most widely diffused of the elementary sub- 
stances. It is a gaseous body. 

26. Wliy do persons who are walking, or riding upon horse 
back feel vmrmer than iche?t they are sitting still ? 



j<2 



[■HE EEASON WHY. 



" Stand in awe and sin not : commune with your own heart upon your bed and 
be still."— Psalm iv. 



IJecause as they breathe more rapidly, the combustion of the 
carbon in the blood is increased by the oxygen inhaled, and greater 
heat is developed. 

27. Will/ does tlie -fire 'burn more brightly when blovm by a 
bellows ? 

Because it receives, with every current of air, a fresh supply of 
oxygen, which unites with the carbon and hydrogen of the coals, 
causmg" more rapid combustion and increased heat. 

28. Why does not the oxygen of tlie air sometimes take 
fire ? 

Because oxygen, by itself, is incombustible. The v/ick of a 
candle, which retains the slightest spark, being immersed in oxygen, 
will instantly burst into a brilliant flame ; and even a piece of iron 
wire made red-hot, and dipped in oxygen, will burn rapidly and 
brilhantly. Oxygen, though non-combustible of itself, is the most 
powerful supporter of combustion. 

29. Wliy do toe know that oxygen ivill not bii,rn of itself ? 
Because when we immerse a burning substance into a jar of 

oxygen, it immediately burns with intense brilliancy ; but directly 
it is withdrawn from the oxygen, the intensity of iho. flame diminishes, 
and the oxygen which remains is unaffected. 

30. TVhy do lue know that oxygen is necessary to our 
existence ? 

Because animals placed in any kind of gas, or in any combination 
of gases, where oxygen does not exist, die in a very short time. 

3 1 . Wh ere is oxygen found ? 

It is found in the air, mixed with nitrogen ; in water combined 
with hydrogen; in the tissues of vegetables and animals ; ua our 
blood; and in various compounds called, from the presence of 
oxygen, oxides, 

32. Why is the oxygen of the air mixed so largely iciih 
nitrogen ? 

]?ecause oxygen in any greater proportion than that in which it 
IS found iu the atmosphere, would be too exciting to the anima) 



THE EEaSOX why. 



"As vinegar is to %iie teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to hits 
that sent Mm."— Peoteebs x. 



system. Animals placed hijpure oxygen die in great agony from 
il'ver and excitement, amounting to madness. 

33. TTJiat is nitrogen ? 

Nitrogen is an element?4ry body in the form of gas. 

3 J;. Wliere is nitrogen found? 

It is eliiefly found in the air, of which it constitutes 79 out of ll)0 
volumes. It may be mixed with oxygen in various proportions ; 
but in the atmosphere it is uniformly difiused. It is found in most 
animal matter, except fat and hone. It is not a constituent of the 
vegetable acids, but it is found in most of the vegetable alkalies. 

35. UHiat are acids ? 

Acids are a nunaerous class of chemical bodies. They are gene- 
rally sour. Usually (though there are exceptions) they have a 
great affinity for water, and ai'e easily soluble therein ; they miite 
readily with most alkalies, and with the various oxides. All acids 
are compounds of two or more substances. Acids are found in all 
the kingdoms of nature. 

83. Wliat are alkalies ? 

Alkalies are a numerous class of substances that have a great 
affinity for, and readily combine with, acids, forming salts. They 
exercise pecuhar influence upon vegetable colours, turning blues 
green, and yellows reddish brown. But they will restore the 
colours of vegetable blues which have been reddened by acids ; and, 
on the other hand, the acids restore vegetable colours that have 
been altered by the alkalies. Alkahes are found hi all the kingdoms 
of nature. 

37. Could animals live in nitrogen? 

Ko ; they would immediately die. But a mixture of oxygen and 
nitrogen, in equal volumes, constitutes nitrous oxide, which gives a 
pleasurable excitement to those who inhale it, causing them to be 
merry, almost to insanity ; it has, therefore, been called laughing 
gas, 

33. IVliy does nitrous oxide produce this effect? 
Because it introduces into the body more oxygen than can be 
consumed. It, therefore, leranges the nervous svstem. and beingf 
2* 



^4 THE REASON Wnx. 



'liOrd. make me know mine end, and the measure of my days, that 1 may kno\» 
how frail I am."— Psaim xxxix. 



a powerful stimulant, gives an unnatural activity to the nervous 
centres and the brain. 

39. In what proportions are tlie atmospTieric gases found in 
tJie Hood ? 

The mean quantity of the g-ases contained in the human blood has 
been found to be equal ^ 1-lOth of its whole volume. In venous 
blood, the average quantity of c<xr5owi<7 acid is about 1-1 8th, that of 
oxygen about l-85th, and that of nitrogen about 1-lOOfch of the 
volume of the blood. In arterial blood their quantities have been 
found to be carhonic acid about l-14th, oxygen about l-38th, 
and nitrogen about l-72nd. 

40. Then is nitrogen taTcen into the Hood from the air ? 
Such a supposition is highly improbable. It is probably derived 

from nitrogenisedfood, just as carhonic acid is derived from car- 
honised food. 

41. What is venous Hood ? 

Venous blood is that which is returning through the veins of the 
body from the organs to which it has been circulated. 

42. What is arterial hlood ? 

Arterial blood is that which is flowing from the heart through 
the arteries to nourish the parts where those arteries are distri- 
buted. 

43. What is the difference hetween venous and arterial 
hlood ? 

Venous blood contains more carbonic acid, and less oxygen and 
nitrogen than arterial blood. 

44 . Will nitrogen hum ? 

It will not burn, nor will it support combustion. 

45. What is the difference hetween '■'■hurninf'* and ^^ sup- 
porting comhustion?'^ 

Oxygen gas wiU not burn of itself, but it aids the decomposition 
by lire of l)odies that are combustible. It is therefore called a sicp- 
porter of yomhust^on. B^.t hydrogen gas, though it burns of itself 



THE EEASON WHY. 36 



" As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire ; so is a contentious man to 
kindle strife."— Peovekbs xxti. 



will extingmsh a flame immersed in it. It is therefore said to he 
a body which will burn, but tvill not supjport combustion. 

46. What becomes of the nitrogen that is inhaled with the 
air ? 

It is thrown off with the breath, mixed with carbonic acid gas, 
and flics away to be renewed by a fresh supply of oxygen. 

47. Where does nitrogen Jind afresh sujpjply of oxygen ? 
In the atmosphere. Nitrogen is said to possess a remarkable 

tendency to mix with oxygen, without having a positive chemical 
affinity for it. That is to say, neither the oxygen nor the nitrogen 
undergoes any change by the union, except that of admixture. The 
oxygen and the nitrogen still possess their own peculiar properties. 
Oxygen and nitrogen are found in nearly the same proportions in all 
climates, and at all altitudes. 

48. In combustion does any other result take place besides 
the union of oxygen and carbon forming carbonic acid gas? 

Yes. Usually hydrogen is present, which in burning unites with 
oxygen, and forms water. 



CHAPTER IV. 



49. What is hydrogen ? 

Hydrogen is an elementary gas, and is the lightest of all known 
bodies. 

50. Will hydrogen support animal life ? 

It will not. It proves speedily fatal to animals. 

51. Will hydrogen support combustion? 

Although it will burn, yielding a feeble bluish light, it will, if pure, 
extinguish a flame that may be immersed in it. Hydrogen will 
therefore bwn, but will not support combustion. 

52. Why will hydrogen explode, if it will not support com- 
bustion ? 

When hydrogeu explodes it is always in combination with oxyger.^ 



S13 THE REASON Vv'HY. 



"As smoke is driven aAvay, so drive tlif.m away : as wax melteth before the iir 
so let the wicked perish at the presence of God."— Psalm xlvi. 



or Avith. the comm m air, which contains oxygen. Tiuo measures of 
hydrogen and one of oxygen form a most explosive compound. 

53.. Will/ does hydrogen explode, tulien mixed with oxygen, 
upon leing hrought in contact with fire ? 

Because of its strong affinity for oxygen, with which, upon the 
application of heat, it unites to form water, 

54. Where does hydrogen chiefly exist ? 

In the form of toater, where it exists in combination with oxygen. 
Eleven parts of hydrogen, and eighty-nine of oxygen, form water. 

55. Is hydrogen found elsewhere ? 

It is never found but in a state of combination ; united with 
oxygen, it exists in water; with nitrogen, in ammonia; with 
chlorine, in hydro-chloric acid; with fluorine, in hydro-fluoric acid; 
and in numerous other combinations. 

56. Is the gas used to illuminate our streets, hydrogen gas? 
It is ; but it is combined with carbon, derived from the coals from 

which it is made. It is therefore called carhuretted hydrogen^ 
which means hydrogen with carbon. 

57. How is hydrogen gas obtained from coals ? 

It is driven out of the coals by heat, in closed vessels, which pre- 
vent its union with oxygen. 

58. What becomes of the water lohich is formed by the 
burning of hydrogen in oxygen? 

It passes into the air in the form of watery vapour. Frequently 
it condenses^ and may be seen upon the walls and windows of rooms 
where many lights or fires are burning. Sometimes, also, portions 
of it become condensed in the globes of the glasses that arc 
suspended over the jets of gas, A large volume of these gases 
forms only a very small volume ofioater. 

59. What becomes of the carbonic acid gas which is prih 
duced by combustion ? 

It is diffused in the air, which should be removed by a'Joquaft 
ventilatioii 



Nothing is foreign, parts relate to wtoie; 

One all-extending, all-preserving soul 

Connects each, heing, greatest vrith the least; 

Made beast in aid of man, and man of beast."— ?o.'i-.. 



THE 

REASON WHY 

NATURAL HISTORY. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MAN.'' 



1. What are the principal types of the varieties of the 
human race ? 

The types generally recognized are those pointed out by Blnmen- 
bach, consisting of— 1. The Caucasian ; 2. The Mongolian ; 
3. The Ethiopian ; 4. The American ; 5. The Malay. 

2. WJiy is the first of these types called the Caucasian? 

Because the tribes from which this great division of the human 
family descended have for many ages been the occupants of the 
mountain chain of the Caucasus. 

The characters of this variety are, a white skin, either with a rosy 

* The chapter upon the Natural History of Man has been founded upon John- 
son's Physical Atlas ; Prichard's Physical History of Mankind ; La-wrence's Lectures; 
Latham's Varieties of Man ; The Encyclopsedia Britannica, art. Man ; and the con- 
cluding pages of Humboldt's Cosmos. For the subsequent chapters, a great 
number of authorities have been consulted, -«-hich are specified in the list of 
" Authorities." 



THE REASON WHY: 



He prayeth best who loveth best 
All things both great and small ; 
For the great God who loveth us, 
lie made and loveth all."— Coleeibge. 



tint, or inclining to 
brown ; red cheeks ; 
liairblack, or ofthe 
various lighter co- 
lours, abundant, 
and more or less 
curled or waving ; 
irides dark in 
those of brown 
skin ; light blue, 
grey, or greenish, 
in the fair or rosy 
complexioned ; 
large cranium with 
small face, the 
upper and anterior 
regions of the 
former particularly 
developed, and the 
latter falling per- 
pendicularly under 
them ; face oval 
and straight, with 
feattU'es distinct from each other ; expanded forehead, n{ rrow 
and rather aquiline nose, and small mouth ; front tee^ h oi loth 
"aws perpendicular ; lips, particularly the lower, gently turned 
Dut ; chin full, rounded, and bearded. 

In this type the moral feelings and intellectual powers are most 
energetic, being susceptible of the highest development and culture. 
It includes all the ancient and modern Europeans, except the 
Laplanders and the rest of the Finnish race. 

The sub-divisions, or varieties of this type are — the Circassian, or 
true Caucasian ; the Syro-Arabian : Hindoo, Celtic, Grecian, Italian, 
German, Slavonic, &c., and Gypsies, originally from the banks of 
the Indus, from whence they have wandered over Europe. 




CAUCASIAN. 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



Know tlien thyself, presume not God to scan. 
The proper study of manMnd is man." — Pope. 



3. Wluj is the second of these types called the Mongolian ? 

From the vast region of Mongolia^ over which they are 
generally spread. 

They are charac- 
terized by an olive 
colour, which in 
many cases is very 
light ; black eyes ; 
black, straight, 
strong, and thin 
hair ; little or no 
beard ; head of a 
square form, with 
small and low fore- 
head : broad and 



the features run- 
ning together ; nose 
small and flat ; 
cheeks projecting ; 
eyes placed very 
obliquely ; sligh^ 
projection of the 
The stature, par- 




MOIfGOLIAN. 



chin ; with the ears large and lips thick. 

trcularly iu the countries within the Arctic circle, is inferior to 

that of Europeans. 

The sub-divisions of this type are the true Mongols, the Tibetans, 
Chiuese, Burmese, Siamese, Samoeids, Yeniseians, Finns, Lapps, 
Esquimaux, Tm'ks, &c. These tribes occupy Central and Northern 
Asia, the Asiatic Islands, and the Arctic coasts of Asia and 
America. 

4. Why is the third tijpe denominated the Ethiopian ? 

Because the primitive tribes were the occupants of Ethiopia, 
or the country of the darJc shinned, the ancient name of Africa. Tlie 



["HE REASON why: 



" Be not of us afraid, 
Poor kindred man ! thj'' fellow-creatures, we 
From the same Parent power our being drew. 
The same our Lord, our laws, our great pursmt."— Thomson. 




Ethiopian embraces 
the African central 
tribes and their 
varieties, the Ncr- 
groes of Western 
Africa, and thf^ 
Kaffirs of the south. 
The Central Afri- 
cans are marked 
by an elongated, 
narrow cranium, 
crisp and curly 
hair, projecting 
jaws, thick lips, 
and black or dusky 
skin. In the Negro 
the skull is narrow, 
or compressed at 
^^^^^^- the sides, and 

elongated from front to back, the dome arched and dense, the 
forehead convex, retreating, and narrow ; the contour of the head 
is smooth compared with the angular form of the Mongol ; the 
chesk bones project forward ; the bridge of the nose is small and 
flat, the nostrils round and wide ; mouth wide with thick lips ; 
hair crisp and woolly, except the eyebrows and eyelashes ; beard 
scanty on the upper lip, and chiefly confined to the point of the 
chin ; body strong, muscular, and symmetrical ; feet broad and 
heavy, and the soles flat. In the Kaffir the cranium rises higher, 
and is more rounded than in the Negro ; the cheek bones project, 
the eyes are small and dark, the eyelids occasionally oblique, the 
face tapers towards the chin, and the jaws are much less prominent 
than those of the Negro. 

5. Why is the American tijpe so called? 

Because it includes the aboriginals of the American continent, 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



" Man superior ^valks 
Amid the glad creation, musing Draise, 
And looking lively gratitude."— Thomson. 



wliicli, tliougli dis- 
tributed over wide 
latitudes, and exhi- 
biting considerable 
diversity of form, 
liave a general phy- 
sical aspect which 
is common to the 
whole. The cheek 
bones are high, the 
forehead rather low 
and retreating ; the 
nose prominent, 
not unfrequently 
aquiline ; jaws 
powerful, mouth 
large, lips full, eyes 
small, deep-set, and 
black ; hair coarse, 
black, and rather 
scanty, beard 
scanty. Skin of a red copper colour, and glossy in some North 
American tribes, and of a yellowish-red, light brown, and sallow 
hue in the various tribes of South America. This type includes all 
American aborigines except the Esquimaux, which are Mongolian. 

6. Why is the ffth type called the Malay ? 

Because most of the tribes speak the IMalay language, which, in 
the various ramifications of this race, may be traced from Mada- 
gascar to Easter Island in the South Pacific, half-way between Asia 
and America. The characteristics of this type are a brown colour, 
varying from a light tawny tint, not deeper than that of the 
Spaniards and Portuguese, to a deep brown, approaching to black ; 
black hair, more or less curled, and abundant ; head rather narrow ; 
bones of the face large and prominent ; nose full and broad toward.s 




AMEEICAN — WOMAN. 



THE REASON Wlir : 



Truth, bids me look on men as autumn leaver, 
And aH they bleed for as the slimmer's dust 
Driven by the ■whh-lwiiid." — Young. 



the point, and mouth large. To this division belong the inhabitants 
of the peninsula of Malacca, of Sumatra, Jaya, Borneo, Celebes, 

and the adjacent, 
islands of Australia, 
Van Dieman's 
Land, New Guinea, 
New Zealand, and 
the numberless is- 
lands scattered 
throughout the 
South Sea. 

7. Why have the 
primitive types re- 
tained their charac- 
teristic features 
chiefly in moun- 
tainous countries ? 

Because J;he 
stream of immi- 
MALAY. gration naturally 

takes place in the direction of rivers, by which the tribes of the 
plains become mixed and clmnged ; but mountains are less acc-es- 
sible, and frequently form almost impenetrable boundaries. We 
therefore find among mountaineers the remnants of the oldest races. 

8. JVhy are there so many different complexions in the tribes 
composing the various types ? 

The problem has occupied the attention of philosophers and 
divines in all ages. The result of their investigations shows that 
no single cause, but a variety of causes, must be considered. The 
most important of them are, 1, climate ; 2, organization ; 3, inter- 
marriage ; 4, exceptional circumstances. The influence of climate 
is shown by the fact that every zone is more or less marked by a 
distinctive colour. Black prevails under the equator, copper colour 
under the tropics, olive and fair towards the poles. 




NATURAL HISTORY". 



'Tis Tain to seek in man far more than man, 
Thou.2:li proud in promise big- in previous thought, 
Experience clamps our triumphs." — Yovxg. 



Tiie influence of organization is sIiowti in niany instances : the 
Moors, who have lived for ages under a burning sun, still have 
white children, and the offspring of Europeans in the Indies have 
the original tint of their progenitors. Different complexions are in 
some cases intermixed by immigrant races, and white and blaclc 
people dwell together ; and complexions are modified by the off- 
spring of marriages between members of the different races. But 
it is further and most conclusively demonstrated by an examination 
of the skins of the darkly-coloured races, in which a secreted colour- 
ing matter is found. The skin is thicker and harder in black people 
than in white. The external skin of each is transparent and colour- 
less. The colouring matter of the coloured races lies in the rete 
mucosum, or inner skin, and this colour is seen through the trans- 
parent true skin, just as white people see the traces of their dark 
veins through the same cuticle. The influences of intermarriage are 
abundantly demonstrated by the fact that the union of black and 
white parents generally produces children of an intermediate cha- 
racter, which are called mulattoes ; and of excejjtional circumstances 
in the less frequent occurrence of the bu'th of pie-bald negroes, 
having their skin diversified with black and white spots, and part 
of their woolly hair white ; of short parents producing very tall 
children, &c. 

9. The change of colour in the human skin, from exposure to sun and air, is well 
known to be temporary. The discoloration which we term " taiming," or being 
"sun-burnt," as well as the spots called "freckles," are most incidental to fair 
skins, and disappear when the parts are covered or no longer exposed to the sun. 
The children of the husbandman or of the sailor whose countenance bears the marks 
of other climes, are just as fair as those of the most delicate and pale inhabitants 
of a city. 

10. What imparted to various tribes the different habits and 
modes of life for which they are remarkable ? 

Chiefly the physical features of the countries in which they were 
born, or into which they wandered. The people who established them- 
selves in the frozen regions of the north not finding enough of vege- 
table nourishment, became hunters and fishers. Necessarily separated 
from each other for the pursuit of sustenance, they multiplied slowly, 



THE REASON WHY 



So from the first eternal order ran, 

And creature link'd to creature man to man." — Pope. 



and civilization remained unknown. Among such people the arts 
are confined to the construction of huts, the preparation of skins 
for covering, and to the manufacture of spears and other weapons. 
The inhabitants of the northern and eastern parts of Siberia, and 
the savages of North America, are almost the only people who are 
now to be found in this primitive state. Those people who feed 
numerous herds of cattle, in localities where it was necessary to 
seek new pastures for their maintenance, necessarily adopted a 
wandering life. Travelling in numbers, they acquired ideas of 
property and of mutual rights ; and inequality of condition soon 
gave one man power over another. But the wandering life in search 
of new pastures and more agreeable climates, kept them still within 
very narrow limits of civilization. The Laplanders in the north of 
Europe, the Tartars, who inhabit the vast region in the interior of 
Asia, the Bedouin Arabs, who occupy the sands of Arabia and the 
north of Africa, and the Cafires and Hottentots in Southern 
Africa, are the principal wandering tribes that still remain. In 
countries where the nature of the soil and the value of the pro- 
ductions rendered an abiding residence essential, people took to 
agriculture, acquired property in land, developed themselves into 
classes, instituted laws, became less predatory and warlike ; and 
when, in the division of labour and duty, the functions of the 
civilian became separated from those of the soldier, the civil portion 
of society cultivated various improvements and assumed the habits 
of civilized men. 

11. What is the chief physical distinction between man and 
the inferior animals ? 

The hrain of man is proportionally much larger, and the jaws 
are much shorter than in any other being. The brain, by its great 
extent, forms the protuberance of the occipital bone, the forehead, 
and all that part of the head which is above the ears. 

In the inferior animals the brain is so small that most of them 
have no occiput, and the front is either wanting or but little raised. 
Man- combines by far the largest cranium with the smallest face ; 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



To man she grave, in that proud hour, 
The hoou of intellectual power." — Moore. 



and animals deviate from these relations in proportion as tliey 
increase in stupidity and ferocity. 

12. IVhy may loe feel assured that all the varieties of man 
sprung from one original ? ' 

Because we have, first, the Scriptural history of man's creation ; 
and, secondly, scientific investigations entirely support the unity of 
man's origin. 

Whilst attention was exclusively directed to the extremes of 
colour and of form, the result of the first vivid impressions derived 
from the senses was a tendency to view these differences as character- 
istics, not of mere varieties, but of originally distinct species. The 
permanence of certain types in the midst of the most opposite in- 
fluences, especially of climate, appeared to favour this view, not- 
withstanding the shortness of the time to wliich the historical 
evidence applied. Bat the many intermediate gradations of the 
tint of the skin and the form of the skull, which have been made 
known by the rapid progress of geographical science in modern 
times ; the analogies derived from the history of varieties in 
animals, both domesticated and wild ; and to the positive observa- 
tions collected respecting the limits of fecundity in hybrids. 

So long as the western nations were acquainted with only a part 
of the earth's surface, partial views almost necessarily prevailed ; 
tropical heat and a black colour of the skin appeared to be insepa- 
rable. When the first Portuguese navigators sailed for purposes of 
discovery to the shores of Africa, it was confidently predicted by 
learned men of the time that if ever they returned they would be 
as black as the negro race. 

When M^e take a general view of the dark coloured African 
nations, and compare them with the natives of the Australasian 
Islands, and with the Papuas and Alfourous, we see that a black 
skin, woolly hair, and negro features, are by no means invariably 
associated. 

13. By maintaining the unity of the human species, we at the same tune repel the 
cheerless assumption of superior and inferior races of men. There are fr(jn'.lies of 

1* 



10 THE REASON WHY : 



■Happy the man who sees a God employed 
III all the good and ill that chequer life ! " — Cowper. 



nations more readily susceptible of culture, more highly civilized, more ennobled 
by mental cultivation than others ; but not in themselves more noble. All are alike 
designed for freedom ; for that freedom which in rude conditions of society belongs 
to individuals only, but, where states are formed, and political institutions enjoyed, 
belongs of right to the whole community. "If," in the words of Wilhelm von 
Humboldt,"*' we would point to an idea which all history throughout its course dis- 
closes, as ever establishing more firmly and extending more widely its salutary 
empire— if there is one idea that contributes more than any other to the often con- 
tested, but still more often misunderstood, perfectibility of the whole human species, 
it is the idea of our common humanity ; tending to remove the hostile barriers 
which prejudices and partial views of every kind have raised between men ; and 
to cause all mankind, without distinction of religion, nation, or colour, to be re- 
garded as one great fraternity, aspiring towards one common aim, the free develop- 
ment of their moral faculties. This is the ultimate and highest object of society ; it 
is also the direction implanted in man's nature, leading towards the indefinite 
expansion of his inner being." 



CHAPTER II. 

THE STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN FRAME — THE BONES, MUSCLES, 
TENDONS, LIGAMENTS, NERVES, ETC. 

14. Why is the position of the human face exactly adapted to the 
erect attitude ? 

Because in that posture the plane of the orbits is nearly horizontal ; 
the cavities of the nose are in the best direction for inhaling odours 
proceeding from before or from below them ; the jaws do not project 
in front of the forehead and chin. If the posture were changed, as 
painful an effort would be required to examine an object in front 
of the body as is now necessary to keep the eyes fixed on the zenith, 
and the heavens would be almost hidden from our view ; the nose 
would be unable to perceive any other odours than those which pro- 
ceeded from the earth or from the body itself ; and the teeth and 
]ir>s would be almost useless, for they would scarcely touch an ob- 
ject on tho ground before the forehead and chin were in contact 



NATURAL HISTORY. ]1 



" Ye chief, for whom the whole creation smiles ; 
At once the head, the heart, the tongue of all, 
Crown the great hymn ! " — Thomson. 



with it ; while the view of that which they attempted to seize would 
be obstructed by the nose and cheeks. 

15. flHiy is a horizontal posture unfitted for the human body ? 

Because if man were to attempt such a posture he would be 
compelled to rest on his knees, with his thighs bent towards th<5 
trunk ; an attempt to advance them would be painful, and with 
his legs and feet would be immoveable and useless. Or, he must 
elevate his trunk on the extremities of his toes, throwing his head 
downwards, and exerting himself very forcibly at every attempt to 
bring forward the thighs by a rotary motion at the hip-join^. In 
either case, the only useful joint would be that at the hip, and the 
legs would be scarcely superior to wooden or rigid supports. 

16. Why is the variation of animal bodies most common in 
the centre, whilst towards the extremities there is comparative 
uniformity ? 

Because the central parts, as the skull, spine, and ribs, are in 
their offices permanent ; whilst the extremities, as the hands and 
feet, are adapted to every exterior circumstance. In all animals 
the office of the cranial part of the skull is to protect the brain, 
that of the spine to contain the spinal marrow, and that of the ribs 
to perform the part of respiration. Ifc is unnecessary, therefore, for 
these parts to vary in shape, while their offices remain the same. 
Bub the shoulder, on the contrary, must vary in form, as it does in 
motion, in different animals ; so must the shape of the bones and 
of the joints more distant from the centre be adapted to their va- 
rious actions, and the wrist, the ankle, and the bones of the fingers 
and toes must change more than all the rest, to accommodate the 
extremities to their diversified offices. 

17. Why cannot a statue stand upright on its feet without support^ 
although it may be a model of symmetry in all its parts, and is placed 
in that attitude which is the most adapted to man ? 

Because a statue has but one centre of gravity, and when that 



12 THE REASON WHY 



Wliat if the foot, ordained the dust to tread, 

Or hand, to toil, aspired to be the head ] "-—Pope. 



is SO shifted as that the perpendicular through it to the centre of 
the earth falls in any way without the base of the statue — ^that is, 
without a figure formed by lines joining all the external points of 
the feet upon which the statue rests — the statue must necessarily 
fall to the earth with all the passiveness of a mass of matter of any 
other shape. The human body, on the other hand, has a muscular 
feeling of the centre of gravity, in consequence of which, if that 
centre inclines so much on one side that the position is beginning 
to become unstable, the motions and flexions of the limbs instantly 
shift the centre of gravity, or rather shift the attitude of the body, 
so as to accommodate it to that centre. 

18. The centre of jjra-^aty in the body is somewhere in the height of it, varying a little 
with the form ; and if this centre is kept in the perpendicular, the body will always 
maintain the position of the greatest stability, whatever may be the flexures or 
motions of the other parts ; or the centre of gravity may move so as to be over any 
one point in the base and yet be stable, only the stability will always be less the 
nearer that the body is to one side of the base, and the farther it is from the oppo- 
site side. The number of positions which the body can assume while on the same 
base of the two feet is almost beyond the power of arithmetic ; and as the positions ' 
of the feet themselves may be also greatly varied, the command which we have of 
the body by means of our power of working it upon its centre of gravity is truly 
wonderful. 

19. Why is the S0I4 of the foot arched ? 

Because by this arrangement the weight of the body is made to 
fall on the summit of the arch, which is supported by a strong liga- 
ment, and this method of support, as is demonstrated by bridges 
and other buildings, is the strongest and most secure that can be 
devised. 

20. Why is the human hand the most important member of the 
whole hody? 

Because it is the hand which gives the power of execution 
to the mind ; and 'it is the relative position of one of the 
fingers to the other four which principally stamps the character of 
the hand ; for the thumb, by its capability of being brought into 
opposition with pacj^j pf tlje other fingers, enables the hand to adapt 



NATURAL HISTORY. 13 



All are but parts of one stupendous whole, 
Whose body nature is, and God the soxil." — Pope. 



itself to every shape, and gives it that complete dominion which it 
possesses over the various forms of matter. 

21. Why is the hand divided into several parts ? 

Being thus constructed the hand is capable of applying a 
portion or the whole of its functions, according to the size, form, 
and weight of the object it designs to handle. 

22. Thus the smallest things we take up with the tips of our fingers ; those 
which are a little larger we take up with the same fingers, but not with the tips of 
them ; substances still larger we take up with three fingers, and so on with four or 
all the five fingers, or even with the whole hand ; all which we could not do were 
not the hand divided, and divided precisely as it is. 

23. Why are the hands made equal to and inclined towards 
each other ? 

Because when bodies of a great weight and large size are to be 
grasped on opposite sides, it is necessary that the instruments which 
lift them should be capable of this combined action. 

24. Why are the extremities of the fingers soft and round ? 

If they had been otherwise formed, or made of bone in- 
stead of flesh, we could not then lay hold of such minute bodies as 
thorns or ha,irs. For, in order that a body may be firmly held, it is 
necessary that it be in some degree enfolded in the substance 
holding it ; which condition could not have been fulfilled by a 
hard or bony material. 

25. Why are the fingers of an unequal length ? 

This difference in the length of the fingers serves innu- 
merable purposes in connection with the arts and ordinary opera- 
tions of life ; thus a pen, a pencil, a brush, an engraving tool, a 
sword, a hammer, &c., may be more securely grasped, and used with 
greater facility ; for if the fingers were of an equal length, one would 
get in the way of the other, and prevent the whole from performing 
their office properly. 



1 4 THE REASON WIIY : 



Man ! know thyself. All wisdom centres there : 
To none man seems ignoble, but to man " — Young. 



26. Why are the palms of the hands and the insides and tips 
of the fingers guarded hy cushions of sTcin ? 

If it were not for this protection, the strain upon the blood- 
vessels and nerves would be too great, and the texture even 
of bones and muscles would not be able to sustain the demand 
made upon them. 

27. Why are the fingers furnished ivith nails ? 

If the fingers were not thus furnished, the flesh would be 
forced out of its position and incapable of supporting hard sub- 
stances ; the assistance of the nails is also necessary in retaining 
minute objects which would otherwise elude the grasp. 

28. The nails are applicable to many other purposes, and in polishing and scraping, 
in tearing and peeling oifthe skins of vegetables and animals, and in almost ever/ 
act where nicety of execution is required. 

29. How are the nails of the hands and fed formed? 

The nails are a part of the scarf skin, and present the same pheno- 
mena of adaptation to the surface of the sensitive skin, but in a more 
striking manner. The portion of sensitive skin which gives support 
to the nail is formed into very delicate longitudinal folds, which 
stand up perpendicularly to the surface. The nail upon its under 
surface is fashioned into thin vertical plates, which are received 
between the folds of sensitive skin ; and in this manner the two 
kinds of laminae reciprocally embracing each other, the firmness of 
connection of the nail is maintained. 

30. If we look on the surface of the nail we see an indication of its structure in 
the alternate red and white lines which are there observed ; the former of these 
correspond with the sensitive laminae, the latter with the horny plates, and the 
ribbed appearance of the nail is due to the same circumstance. These sensitive 
laminae are provided with an unusual number of blood-vessels for the formation of 
the nail, and hence they give a red tint to that portion under which they lie ; but 
nearer the root of the nail, there is a part which is not laminated, but merely 
ridged longitudinally, and is less abundantly supplied with capillary vessels. Thi^ 
lattei part consequently looks palo if compared with the preceding. The root of the 



NATURAL HTSTORT. 15 



Vast chain of being ! -which, from God began, 
Natures etherial, h'lraan, angel, man." — Pope. 



nail is embedded in a fold of sensitive skin to the depth of about a twelfth part of an 
inch for the fingers and toes, about the eighth part of an inch for the thumb, and 
the sixth of an inch for the great toe. 

31. What are the jpapillce? 

Papiilse are the terminations of the nerves on the surface of the 
skin, soft and pulpy, and forming minute protuberances, resembling 
the nap of frieze cloth, though greatly inferior in magnitude. These 
nerves are a species of animal feelers, and are the immediate 
instruments of sensation. 

32. When examining or enjoying any object, it is natural to enquire, ^Vh:it are the 
changes produced in the nervous papillae or organs of sensation? If an object 
possessed of agreeable feeling is perceived, the nervous papilte instantly extend 
themselves, and from a state of flaccidity become comparatively rigid. AVhen a 
person in the dark inclines to examine any object, in order to discover its figure or 
other qualities, he perceives a kind of rigidity at the tips of his fingers. If the 
fingers are kept long in this state the rigidity of the nervoms papillae will give him 
a kind of pain or anxiety, which is caused by the over distention of the papillaj. 
If a small insect creep upon a person's hand^ when the papillae are flaccid, its 
movements are not perceived ; but if he happen to direct his eye to the aiumal, he 
immediately extends the papillae, and feels distinctly all the motions of the insect. 

33. Why is the cuticle slightly rough, instead of being perfectly 
smooth, as might be hastily considered its most appropriate 
characteristic ? 

Because the slightly rough surface endows it with a quality more 
adapted to convey sensation. An illustration of this truth is fur- 
nished by the imperfect sense of touch which contact with polished 
surfaces affords, as compared with the handling of rough bodies. 

34. A provision for increasing friction is especially necessary in some parts of the 
skin. Thus the roughness of the cuticle in the pahn of tbe hand, and in the sole of 
the foot, gives us a firmer grasp and a steadier footing. Nothing is so little apt to 
slip as the thickened scarf-skin, either of the hand or the foot. 

35. Wliy has the shin a purple hue when exposed to cold ? 

Because the vigour of the nervous power is reduced by cold ; and 
in addition to the repiilsion inward of most of the blood contained 
within the vessels of the skin producing pallor, that which remains 



16 THE REASON WHY 



Know, Nature's cMldren, all divide her care, 
The fur that warms a monarch, warmed a bear."- 



behind moves so languidly through the capillaries, that the change 
from bright red to deep black red has time to be established before 
it completes its circuit and reaches the veins. 

36. Why is fat necessary to the system ? 

Its principal uses are mechanical. It surrounds the organs like 
an elastic cushion, so as to protect the more delicate parts from 
sudden and injurious shocks. The soles of the feet, for example, 
upon which the whole weight of the body rests, and which in loco- 
motion are subject to frequent concussion and pressure, are pro- 
tected by a cushion of fat, which breaks the shocks which would 
otherwise take place between the foot and the ground, in the same 
manner as do the buffer-cushions which are placed between the 
carriages of a railway train. 

37. There is another physical quality in fat which renders it of considerable 
titility in the animai economy. It is nearly a non-conductor of heat, and as it is 
generally collected in a superficial stratum investing the organs, it prevents the 
undue escape of heat, and keeps the body warm ; it thus performs the part of a 
blanket or clothing, and it is found accordingly that fat persons are less chilly than 
thin persons. 

38. Why does hair form so appropriate a covering for the head ? 

The hairs by their number and the manner in wliich they 
are disposed, are well adapted to deaden any strokes which may fall 
on the head, and to prevent strong pressure from wounding the 
skin. Being bad conductors of heat, they form a sort of felt, whose 
meshes intercept the air, and by that means preserve a unifonn 
temperature in the head, to a certain degree, independent of that of 
the air and of surrounding bodies ; besides, being impregnated with 
an oily matter, the hair imbibes but a small quantity of water, and 
very soon dries. 

39. Why is the human body soft and round in youth, and hard, 
unequal, and angular in advanced life ? 

Because the softness and roundness of form of the human body is 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



" There closely braced. 
And neatly fitted, it compresses hard 
The prominent and most iinsightly bones, 
And binds the shoulders flat." — Cowpee. 

owing to the greater proportion of fluids to that of solids ; the 
younger the age the greater the preponderance of fluids. The human 
embryo when fii-st perceptible is almost wholly fluid ; solid sub- 
stances are gradually but slowly superadded, and even after birth the 
preponderance is strictly according to age : for in the infant the fluids 
abound more than in the child; in the child more than in the youth ; 
in the youth more than in the adolescent ; in the adolescent more 
than in the adult ; and in the adult more than in the aged. 

40. The fluids are not only more abundant than the solids, but they are also more 
important, as they afford the immediate material of the organization of the body ; 
the medium by which its composition and decomposition are effected. They bear 
nourishment to every part, and by them are carried out of the system its noxious 
and useless matter. ^ 

41. WTiy is the spinal column flexible ? 

This flexibility renders the movement of the body free, 
easy, and varied, and accommodating to the complex combination of 
motion which may be brought into play at any moment, with the 
rapidity of the changes of thought, and at the command of the im- 
pulses of feeling. If the spinal column were composed of a rigid and 
immoveable pile of bones, all the other parts of the body, to which 
they are directly or indirectly attached, would have been rendered 
stiff and mechanical in theu' movements, and would not have been 
able to move, save in a given direction, 

42. The degree of flexibility -n-hich the spinal column possesses, and the extent 
to which, by the cultivation of it, it is sometimes actually brought, is exemplified in 
the positions and contortions of the posttu-e-master and the tumbler. It is acquired 
by means of the compressible and elastic matter interposed between the several 
vertebrae. So compressible is this substance that the human body is half-an-inch 
shorter in the evening than in the morning, having lost by the exertions of the day 
so much of its stature ; yet, so elastic is this matter that the stature lost during the 
day is regained by the repose of the night. 

43, Why are all the bones of the body covered with a delicate, 
coating, termed periosteum^ except the teeth? 

Had so exquisitely sen.sitivo .a moinbrano a.s the periosteum 



"i8 THE REASON WILY : 



" In human works, though laboured on with pain, 
A thousand movements scarce our purpose gain ; 
In God's one single can its ends produce ; 
Yet serves to second too some other use." — Pope. 

invested tlie teeth., as it inyests every other bone of the body, ac- 
tion, necessary exposure, and irritation would have subjected the 
animal to continual pain. General as it is, it was not the sort of integu- 
ment which suited the teeth ; what they stood in need of was a strong, 
hard, insensible defensive coat, and exactly such a covering is given 
to 

44. Why are the front teeth of the mouth sharp and the back 
teeth broad and blunted? 

Because the office of the former is to cut and separate the food ; 
while the purpose of the latter is to grind it to a pulp, by which it 
becomes fitted for the process of digestion. 

45. What are the uses, distinct and mutual, of the bones 
and muschs ? 

The bones are to the body what the masts and spars are to a ship 
— ^they give support and the power of resistance. The muscles, 
again, are to the bones what the ropes are to the masts and spars ; 
it is to them that the bones are indebted for the preservation or the 
change of their position. If the bones or masts are too feeble in pro- 
portion to the weight which they are required to sustain, then a de- 
viation from their shape or position takes place ; and, on the other 
hand, if the muscles or ropes are not sufficiently strong and well 
braced, then insufficiency of support must necessarily result. 

46. Early infancj' affords an instance of both of the above-mentioned imperfec- 
tions, the bones being infirm, and the muscles small and destitute of true fleshy 
fibres. The disease called " Softness of the bones," is an illustration of what may 
be called a weak mast of the body, which must yield if its muscles be strongly 
drawn. The state of muscular debUity consequent on fever and many acute diseases, 
or even on sudden fright, is, on the other hand, an instance of the inability of the 
bones alone to preserve an attitude or execute motion, when the muscular system 
is weakened by disease. 

47. Why is the cylindrical form of the long bones of the body 
advantages to structure of the human frame? 

The superior advaiitugea ol ihis arrangement are illuslTated 



NATURAL HISTORY. 19 



'' The man who consecrates his hours 
By vii^ovous effort, and an honest aim, 
At once he draws the sting of life and death." — Yotjng. 



IS follows : — If a piece of timber supported on two poiute, 
:hus — 




bear a weight upon it, it sustains this weight by different qualities in 
its different parts. For example, divide it into three equal parts, 
A, B, C ; the upper part, A, supports the weight by its solidity and 
resistance to compression ; the lowest part, B, on the other hand, 
resists by its toughness or adhesive quality. Between the portions 
acting in so different a manner, there is an intermediate, neutral, or 
central part, C, which may be taken away without materially weak- 
ening the beam, which shows that a hollow cylinder is the form of 
strength. 

48. Hoiv is it that the joints of the body undergo so much use 
for many years loithout diminution of their action ? 

This durability is attributable ta the provision which is made for 
preventmg wear and tear, first, by the polish of the cartilaginous 
surfaces ; secondly, by the healing lubrication of the mucilage, and 
in part to that astonishing property of animal constitutions, assimi- 
lation, by which in every portion of the body, let it consist of what 
it may, substance is restored and waste repaired. 

49. The union of joints even where no motion is intended or required, carries 
marks of mechanism and mechanical wisdom. The teeth, especially the front teeth, 
ai-e one bone fixed in another, like a peg driven into a board. The sutures of the 
skull are like the edges of two saws clapped together in such a manner as 
that the teeth of one enter the intervals of the other. \ye have sometimes one bone 
lapping over another, and planed down at the edges ; sometimes, also, the thin 
lamella of one bone re-curved into a narrow furrow of another. In all of which 
varieties we discover the same design ; namely, firmness of junction without 
clumsiness of seam. 



20 THE REASON WHY : 



" Each night we die, 
Eacli morn are born anew : each day a life 
And shall we kill each day ? If trijiing kills, 
Sure vice must butcher." — Young. 





50. How are the strength and lightness of the human body 
preserved independently of the hones ? 

By the pressure of the atmosphere, consequent on the air-tight 
character of the bag formed by the synovial membrane (which 
secretes the oily fluid of the joints), and which is of itself more than 
sufficient to k-eep the articulating surfaces of the bones in contract. 

51. This admirable fact is most readily demonstrated by the hip-joint. The 
round head of the thigh-bone is received into a socket, thus constituting what is 
familiarly known as a ball-and-socket joint; and all communication between 
the cavity of the joint and external fluids is cut off by the synovial membrane. 
The power thus exercised by the atmosphere is about one-fifth greater than would 
be necessary to support a limb weighing thirty pounds, and the barometer would 
require to fall twenty -five inches to place the limb and the atmosphere in exact 
equilibrium. The pressure of the atmosphere on the shoulder joint is capable of 
supporting a weight nearly twice that of the arm, and the force thus exercised upon 
the elbow-joint, knee-joint, and highest joint of the fore-finger are respectively 
six times, nine times, and thirty-five times greater than are requisite for the 
support of the fore-arm, leg, and finger. 

52. What is the structure of the ribs ? 

The ribs are a frame of bones which enclose 
a hollow space. The lungs and heart are 
within them. The ribs are fastened in front 
to a bone called the breast-bone, and are 
joined at the back to the backbone. In front, 
the rib-bones are joined to the breast-bone by 
gristle, and this gives them a certain amount 
of flexibility, and enables them to move more 
easily when the lungs fill with air. 

53. Why is the skull the only cavity in the body that is not 
enclosed by a membrane ? 

Because the importance of the brain to life, and the extreme 
tenderness of its substance, make a solid case more necessary for it 
than is required for any other part. The skull also completely 
surrounding its contents, is calculated not for motion, but solely for 
defence. 




NATURAL HISTORY. 



Hope humbly tlien ; mth. trembling pinions soar ; 
Wait tbe great teacher Death, and God adore." — Pope. 



54. Why are persons remarJcabU for their stuindity commonly 
termed " thick-headed .?" 

The bones of the cranium which are in connection with those of 
the face, require to increase proportionately in their growth, so as to 
keep pace with the face, and preserve the symmetry of the parts. 
This they do, however, only in their external table, the internal 
remaining to preserve the symmetry of the bones of the cranium. 
From this inequality of development, spaces are left between the two 
tables termed sinuses. In the forehead, immediately under the eye- 
brows, there are two such named frontal sinuses. It sometimes 
happens that the brain shrinks from disease, as in idiocy. In such 
cases the iaternal table follows the brain, and the distance between 
the two tables is increased, the intervening space being either 
filled with a kind of refuse, or remaining empty, forming unusually 
large sinuses. 

55. A female child about four months after birth was noticed to hare an unusually 
large head, TiU the fourth year, howerer, it did not excite much attention, and 
the mental powers up to this period seemed to be excited in the ordinary degree. 
At this period, however, the head began rapidly to enlarge, and the mind became 
more and more obscured, till complete idiocy supervened, and continued till ner 
death, which occurred in her twenty-second year. The head became too large to be 
supported by the puny muscles of the neck ; she therefore constantly lay on a pallet 
by the side of the fire. She appeared to have some slight glimmerings of mind, was 
readily amused, like a young child, with noise and brilliant objects, and for years 
kept rubbing a penny piece in her hands, which she would not part with day or 
night, and which became at length reduced to the thinness of a wafer. 

56. What purposes are served by the projection of the heel and 
the prominence of the Icnee-pan ? 

They increase by mechanical adjustment the power of the muscles ; 
for by such means the point of insertion of the muscles is removed 
to a distance from the centre of motion in the joint, and the lever 
power thus obtained is greatly increased. 

57. Why is it, that although the hones are designed for the strength- 
ening and support of the frame, yet they never touch each other ? 

Because were it not for the fine elastic material, the cartilage, 
interposed between the bones, the frame would be deprived of its 



THE REASON WHY 



How poor, how rich, how abject, how august, 
How comphcate, how wonderful is man." — Ycu: 



elasticity. Without sucli elasticity, a jar would reach the more 
delicate organs, even in the very recesses of the body, at every 
violent motion ; and every joint would crack by the attrition of the 
surfaces of the bones. 

58. TFhat is a muscle? 

A muscle is composed of long slender fibres, which possess the 
power of contracting, and are everywhere enveloped in common 
cellular membranes ; the fibres become fewer as they approach the 
extremity of the muscle, and ultimately terminate. The cellular 
substance that envelopes them being thus freed from the muscular 
fibres, joins more closely together, and forms itself into a white, 
round, or flattened tendon. "When the muscular fibres contract, their 
power is united on the tendon, and drawing it up, makes it perform 
the action of a pulley. 

59. Different muscles accomplish very different purposes. Some of them 
draw down the limb or part to which they are attached, if it has a moveable joint, 
and is placed under the part of the body in which it acts. Others elevate and ex- 
tend the moveable parts to which they belong, and are placed on the superior 
surface. Some muscles, also, move on the parts obliquely, as the oblique muscles 
of the eye, and others make them describe a semi-circle, as in the motions of the 
neck, arms, legs, &c. ; some elevate the upper eyelids ; others contract them, as the 
eyebrows ; or wrinkle them, as the extremities of the lips. The muscles also act on 
the legs, arms, fingers, toes, &c., in moving them to either side. Another example 
of their power is instanced in the foreann, legs, &c. The beauty of the mechanism 
of the muscles is also evinced in the abdomen, where some are transverse, others 
straight, oblique, &c. 

60. What are the nerves ? 

They are a species of fine thread running from every part of the 
body, charged with exquisite sensibility, by which they convey 
the impression or commands between our will and our muscles. 

The vital power of a muscle resides in the nerves, and is nervous. Its irritable 
power is the property by which it feels and acts, when stimulated without conscious- 
ness. It is an inherent principle belonging to its constitution, and remains some time 
after death. Ligaments and tendons support the same weight, whether dead or alive ; 
but a living muscle that lifts One hundred pounds with ease, cannot, after death, 
raise twenty pounds without danger of rupture. When a muscle is newly cut from a 
linib, it palpitates and trembles for a considerable time — it cannot be nervous power 
that thus makes it irritable ; for the nerves being separated from their organ, are 



NATURAL HISTORT. 



23 



" Look round omx world ; behold the chain of Lotg 
Combining aU below, and all above."— PorE, 



dead and powerless. If the heart is newly separated from the body, it contracts if 
irritated. The bowels continue their peristaltic motion after death, until thev be- 
come stiff and cold. This quality belongs absolutely to the muscle, and exists, in some 
cases without nervous irritability altogether— hence, there is a distinction between 
nervous sensibility and muscular irritability. The former dies immediatelv with 
the animal ; the latter lives for a short time after the animal is dead. Muscles are 
irritable and contractile by the inherent principle of their fibres, and are sensible bv 
the vitality communicated through their nerves. Though nei-ves are sensible, they 
are not contractile, and cannot perform the functions of musevilar fibres. 

61. WJiy do ive find muscles under a multiplicity of forms and 
attitudes, sometimes with double, sometimes with treble tendons, some- 
times with none, sometimes one tendon to several muscles, at other 
times ons muscle to several tendons? 

The rpa.son for tliis great mechanical rariety in the figure of the 
muscles, *, owing to a fixed law that the contraction of a muscle 
shall be towards its centre. Therefore, the object for mechanism on 
each occasion is so to modify the figure and adjust the position of 
the muscle as to produce the motion rec^uired agreeably with this 
law. This can only be done by giving to different muscles a diver- 
sity of configui-ation suited to their several oflaces, and to their situa- 
tion with respect to the work which they have to perform. 

62. The illustration of this principle is as foUows : A is the tendinous organ ; B 

the tendinous insertion, and the 
muscular fibres run obliquely be- 
tween them. This obliquity of 
the fibres is almost universal in 
the muscles of the limb, and the 
effect is very important. If we 
pull obliquely u- on a weight, we sacrifice a great deal of power. For what ad- 
vantage, then, is power resigned in the muscle 1 If we wish to draw a thing 
towards any place -n-ith the least 
force, we must pull directly in the 
line between the object and the 
place ; but if we wish to draw it as 
quickly as possible, without any 
regard to the loss of force, we must 
pull it obliquely by drawing it in 
two directions at once. Tie a 
string to a stone A, and draw it 
straight towards you at C with one 
hand ; then make a loop on ano- 
ther string, and running the first 





24 THE REASON WHY 



Leisure is pain ; takes off our chariot wheels ; 
How heavily we drag the load of life ; 
Blest leisure is our curse." — Youno. 



through it, draw one string in each hand, B, B, not towards you in the line A, C, 
but sideways, till both strings are stretched in a straight line : you will see how 
much swifter the stone moves than it did before when pulled straightforward. Now 
this is proved by mathematical reasoning to be the necessary consequence of forces 
applied obliquely ; there is a loss of power but a great increase of velocity. The 
velocity is the quality required to be gained. 

63. By what mechanism are the motions of the arm performed ? 
The arm is joined to the body, and moved by numerous powerful 

muscles ; and is fixed to the breast by the ligaments of the collar-bone. 
The muscles that move the shoulder-blade lie upon the trunk ; those 
that move the arm lie upon the shoulder-blade ; those that move the 
fore-arm lie upon the arm ; and those that move the hand and 
fingers lie upon the fore-arm. But as the arm requires easy, circular 
motions, it has a multiplicity of parts to perform them. It has the 
wrist, for turning it round ; the elbow, for its hinge-like motions ; 
and the shoulder-joint, on which it rolls ; and to assist all those, the 
moveable shoulder-blade becomes the centre of their motions ; for, 
after a certain point of elevation, the motion of raising the arm is 
performed by the action of the shoulder-blade upon the trunk ; 
when our shoulder-bone is raised to a horizontal position, it is 
checked by the upper part of the shoulder-joint which hangs over 
it ; and if we elevate our arm still higher, the shoulder-blade roUs, 
turning upon the point of the collar-bone ; and, as it turns, it glides 
easUy upon those muscles, which lie like a fleshy cushion between 
it and the trunk over which it is placed. 

64. Why are the muscles often removed by means of slender strings 
from the parts they are designed to rest upon ? 

Because, in many cases, the situation of the muscles where they 
are immediately required would be inconvenient. If the muscles 
which move the fingers had been placed in the palm or the back of 
the hand, they would have swelled that part to an awkward and 
clumsy thickness ; the beauty and the proportion of the part 
would have been destroyed. They are, therefore, disposed in the 
arm, and even up to the elbow, and act by long tendons strapped 
down at the wrist, and passing under the ligaments to the fingers 
and to the joints of the fingers which they are severally to 



THE EAUTH. 






100. 

Explanations.— The letters A, B, C, D, etc, refer to the details of the laigeengravkig which commences 
each chapter or subject. The yi^rures, beginning' with 100, refer to the subjects to which they are attached 
as a whole ; the Jigures I to 20 refer to certain mini/^e i^/e.'aiZs necessary to the iIlustr;ition of the immediate 
text. Thus the number 100 (on this page) refers to the large illustration of the earth, cloTtds. and moon, as a 
whole ; the letters A, B, C, D, point to certain details. The figures 103 refer to the illustration of land and 
sea ; but the figures 3 and 4 refer, specifically, the first to sea, the second to land, A double reference— thns, 
6-104— means the detail 6 in illustration 104. By this simple method, many thousands of instractive refer- 
ences will be made in the volume. The Index to the volume will be also a Glossary, and will explain 
all technical and scientific terms unexplained in the text. 



The Earth, a, is one of an un- 
known number of 
planetary bodies, 
1. The form of 
the earth is globu- 
lar, but not quite 
round, being flat- 
tened at tlie poles, 
D D. The dia- 
meter of the earth. 




measured at its middle, or the 
equator, is 7,926 (nearly 8,000) 
miles ; its circumference about 
24,900 (nearly 25,000) miles ; its 
surface is estimated to amount to 
198,943:750 (nearly 200,000,000) 
square miles. It is surrounded 
by a trans'parent gaseous body, 
called, when spoken of in a com- 
prehensive sense, ilie atmosphere; 



that's it 



in a minor, or local sense, air. 
This atmosphere is estimated to 
extend forty -Jive miles from the 
earth's surface. Clouds, b, gather 
in the atmosphere. They are 
cliiefly Formed of vapours, 2, 




The sea covers nearly three- 
fourths oi the glohe. When the 
atmosphere is still, the sea is 
calm, 3 ; but when heat or cold, 
by disturbing the equilibrium 
of the atmosphere, causes it to 
move, it forms winds, and com- 
municates motion to the sea, 
producing what are called waves, 
5. Wind, travelling at the rate 



raised from the waters and land, 
by the heat of the sun. The 
earth, a, has a satellite, c, which 
is the moon. The mean distance 
of the moon, 0, from the earth, 
A, is 237,000 miles ; her diame- 
ter is 2,160 (more than two 
thousand) miles. The mean dis- 
tance of the earth from the sun 
is 95 millions of miles. 

The surface of the earth is 
divided into sea, 3, and land, 4. 




THE CALM. 

The waves are asleep! sweetly cam is their 

rest. 
The poarl-beds of ocean are silently press'd ; 
1 he crimson-Tring'd light, from the western 

sky beaming, 
O'er the slumbering waters is brilliantly 

{^'learning ; 
The 2^autilus floats lite a fairy along. 
No sound, save the mariner's love-hTirthen'd 

song, 
<.)r the soft curfew-bell, meets the h'sten.ng 

ear — 
The earth and the heavens to each other draw 




104. 



THK BEEEZE. 



The waves are awaking, their myriads rise. 
The rays of the morning illumine thfir eyes ; 
Their crests are all white, and their voices 

begin 
To speak of the battle, with murmur and din ; 
They are woo'd by the winds, and the troth of 

the pair 
Was never excell'd by the loves of the fair. 
There are legions advancing, and legions have 

gone, 
And legions unnumber'd ride carolling on. 

of from four to eight miles an 
hour, produces a breeze, 6, 7, 8 : at 
sixteen miles an hour it becomes 
a gale, 9 ; at thirty-six miles an 
lionr, a high gale ; at sixty miles 




THE STORM. 

The waves they are raging, their fury is high, 
i hey leap in their wrathfulness up to the sky ; 
'ILey las!, the wild shore, and an echoing 

moiii. 
Is heard where the sway of the ocean is known. 



OE, PLAIN" TEACHIKQ. 



Tbc barque \rhicb so proudly hath triumph'ci 

before. 
Is seiz'd by the surges, and dash'd on the 

shore ; 
And the caverns laugh out with a terrible glee. 
As the mariner sinks 'neath the conquering sea . 

an hour, a storm ; at ninety miles 
an Jiour, a hurricane ; and, if 
accompanied by lightning, 10, 
and other stormy phenomena, it 
constitutes a tempest, 11. 



or tides. The one called Euri- 
pedes, near the coast of Grreece, 
alternately receives and returns 
waters seven times in twenty- 
four hours ; Charyhdis, in the 




THE GEOrXD SWELL. 



The waves are lament. ng the deeds they have 

done, 
Their proud heads droop down, though the 

battle they've won ; 
They are stealing along, with a murmuring 

roll. 
Like the sighings of grief that burst lonh from 

the soul I 
Around the torn wreck their deep waUings are 

heard, 
With the sorrowful cry of the storm-beaten 

biro : 
And sad is the requiem sung by the wares, 
Where the mariner sleeps in the gloom uf the 

caves. 

The sea is also liable to various 
UJico'mmon -phenomena, such as 
whirlpools, 12, which are caused 
by currents of the sea rushing 
with great force against oceanic 
mountains, or oth^ obstacles ; or 
by tico strong currents meetino: 
and causing each other to ujhirl 
round. These whirhng currents 
form a watery gulf, 13. into the 
centre of which h'oats and even 
ships, 14, are sometimes drawn 
and sunk. Some whirlpools are 
permanent, and depend upon the 
mingling of periodical cui'rents 



107. 

<traits of Sicily, thrice in twenty- 
four hours. In the great whirl- 
pool, called the Mdlstrom, upon 
the coast of Xorway, whales, 15, 
■ind large fishes have been di-awn, 
and have been unable to extri- 
cate themselves. Tor six hours 
tliis vortex of waters draws into 
its gulf everything that comes 
within its influence, and the next 
six hours casts up the fragments 
of the wrecks it has made. The 
roaring of the waters of the 
Jlfdlstrom may be heard many 
miles distant. Another disturb- 
ance of the sea is caused by 
water-spouts, 17, created by whirU 
winds, which are themselves pro- 
duced by the meeting of two 
violent currents of wind. Some- 
times these v:ater-spouts are very 
dangerous, being as much as two 
hundred feet in diameter ; but 
such Lu'ge ones are rare. They 



THAT S IT 



are frequently destroyed hjjiring 
qiins, 18, which, prodiicing a dis- 





109. 



turbance of the air, checks the 
Lvhirling, and disperses the ivater- 
H pouts. The sea is also liable, 
as in the Mediterranean, to dis- 

turbances from vol- 

\ canic eriqitions, 19. 
1 occurring under- 
neath its bed, and 
heaving up islands. 
which again dis- 
appear. [There is 
in Central America 
a icater volcano, 
which, although 
12,600 feet above 
I he level of the sea, en: its torrents 
(jf ivater, and millions of stones, 
but has never bee4i known to 
t-niit Jire.'\ Earth quakes also 
affect the sea bj altering its bed, 
or by swallowing up vast areas of 
land, upon which the sea rushes 
in. They also alter the channels 
of river.% and in this way affect 
the sea. 

Icelcrgs, 20, create consider- 
able oceanic disturbances in seas 
that approach the frigid zones. 
In the arctic and ant art ic lati- 
tudes, the cold is so intense that 
the crests of waves freeze as tlie;, 
rise, and i<.e accumulates until it 
forms mountains, equal in weiglit 



to thousands of millions of tons. 
These are driven by the Avinds 




and tides against each other with 
terrible violence, and sometimes 
entering warmer latitudes, ships 
are overtaken by them and crushed 
to pieces. 

Although the friction of the 
wind upon the surface of the 
ocean raises it into waves, 1, the 
'h'pths of the sea are calm. 2, and 




111. 



iishes swim, 3, and groves of ma- 
rine plants, 4, flourish unafiected 



OE, PLAIIS" TEACHIK&. 



by the war of elements, ^ear 
the shore, however, the waters 
being shallow, the waves fall upon 
resisting hanlcs and rocks, then 
they are broken, and lashed into 
foam, andjishes and water plants, 
al^ce, becoming involved in the 
stormy margin of the coast, are 
cast upon the sJwre. Waves are 
said to "roll mountains high," 
but those of the greatest magni- 
tude rarely exceed thirty feet 
from the hollow of the depressed 
wave to the crest of the elevated 
one. The water forming waves 
does not advance, but the motion 
is imparted to succeeding hodies 
of water. Only a little of the 
spray, or the rippled water impel- 
led by the wind, moves forward. 
But the ocean is in perpetual 
movement. Not only do changes 
of temperature, and the flow of 
rivers, affect its condition, but, 
from millions of miles away, in 
the far depths of space, the hea- 
venly bodies attract it, and form 
one cjr eat primary ivave, which is 
for ever moving.* 

The depth of the ocean is liable 
to immense variations, and in some 
instances has never been ascer- 
tained. The measurement 
of the depths of the sea is 
called taking soundings ; a 
heavy lead, 5, attached to a 
strong thin line,6, is sunk in 
the water until it touches 
the bottom. Soundings 
taken in the Atlantic Ocean 
have shown a depth of 
18,000 feet, or about three 
miles and a- half ; soandings 
in the Southern Atlantic, 
to the west of the Cape of Grood 

• 2ce the " Walk by the Sea Shore." 



113. 



Hope, showed a depth of 27,000 
feet, or more than five miles, and 
then the bottom was not found. 
At a point 300 miles from the 
Bermudas, 5700 fathoms of line 
were paid out {nearly six and a- 
half miles') and no bottom found. 
Near the same parallel, bottom 
was found 'at less than half the 
above depth. Midway between 
the Islands of Tristan d'Acunha 
and the mouth of the Hio de la 
Plata, the bottom was reached at 
a depth of 770Q fathoms, equal to 
46,236 (more than 46,000) feet, 
or eight miles and three-quarters. 
The time occupied by running 
out the line was nearly three 
hours. The average depth of the 
sea on the coast of England is 
estimated at aboat VlOfeet ; on 
the coast of Scotland, S60 feet ; 
on the western coast of Ireland, 
2000 feet. Soundings with the 
lead cannot be fully relied upon, 
on account of frequent currents. 




sometimes running in opposite 
directions, 9, 9, at different depths, 



6 



THAT S IT ; 



8, 9, 10, and which, instead of 
allowing the lead, 10, to reach 
the bottom, 7, bear it away. The 
great density of deep waters also 
prevents the lead sinking. When 
the line, 9 9, is first thrown out, 
the lead, 10, sinks rapidly ; but 
upon reaching great depths it 
will scarcely sink further, on ac- 
count of the great pressure of the 
water. Adhesive matter is fre- 
quently attached to the lead, 
which, taking hold of some frag- 
ments of the bottom, indicates 
its nature. The results of such 
measurements of depths, and in- 
dications of the nature of the 
bottom, are soundings, which are 
carefully entered in the ship's 
log-hooks. If the sea were to be 
dried up, there would appear vast 
regions of sandy deserts, bound- 
less ocean prairies, lofty moun- 
tains, deep valleys, open plains, 
narrow ravines, mountains with 
broad table-lands, high cliffs with 
dark caverns, immense abysses, 
and all the varying features of 
the earth's surface, marked in 
bolder and more romantic cha- 
racters by the powerful action ol 
water since the world's formation. 
The ocean is tenanted with 
living creatures, presenting a won- 
derful variety of forms, most ol 
them useful to man, and many of 
the various species abounding m 
countless myriads. The Green- 
land whale \lialcpna mysticetus) 
11, is the giant of the arctic seas. 
There great numbers of them 
congregate, and frolic in the 
waters ; some darting along the 
surface, others diving, and then 
leaping into the air, others sport- 
ing, and lashing the water into 



foam with their powerful tails ; 
all of them discharging volv/nies 




114 

of water through their blowers, 12, 
from which they filter the minute 
shrimp-like Crustacea, and jelly- 
like MeduscB, upon which they 
feed. Creatures of amphibious 
habits live upon the shores of the 
polar seas, or tenant the vast 
worlds of ice which there exist, 
13. Among these, the most re- 







markable is the walrus* {Tri- 
checus Bosmarus), 14, familiarly 
called the " sea-horse." " sea- 



1 he walrus is not an amphibious animal. Strictly 
speakinj?, no animals are amphibioun but such as pos- 
8e?s both lungs and ijiUa. Yet many aiuuials, such as 
walruses, seals, otters, beavers, etc., have amphibious 
tiabtts, th(ag:h they aie not amphibious. 



OR, PLAIK TEACH IXa. 



COW," etc. The icalrus feeds 
upon marine plants, and the small 
animals that inhabit them ; its 
long tusks are for the purpose of 
rooting up tlie plants that form 
its food ; it also uses these tusks 
to defend itself when attacked. 
Large herds of these animals 
gather upon the ice, and at other 
times quit the water, and venture 
some distance upon the land. In 
the Mediterranean and Indian 
seas, the dolpidn {^Delphinus 

16 



cetus voUtans), 20, darting from 
i the pursuing dolphin, springs 
into the air, and 
after a brief 
flight drops into 
its native ele- 
ment. 

In the seas 
which surroundtheBritishislands. 
fishes of many varieties abomid, 
among them the herring {Clupea 
1; the hream {Ahra- 





deJphis), 15, and in* the same 
waters, as well as on the Ame- 
rican and European coasts, the 
porpoise {Vhoco&na vulgaris^, 16, 
pursue their gambols and chase 
their prey.* In 
tropical seas,\he cu- 
rious family of Chcs- 
todons. 17, display 
their singular forms 
and brilliant co- 
lours. There, too, 
the nautilus {Nau- 
tilus PompHius),!'^, 
spreads out its 
membranous ten 
tacles, 19, and 
glides like a fairy 
ship upon the gol- 
den sea ; and the 
Jiying Ush (^Exo- ns- 

* If'hales, porpoises, and tlie dolphin mentioned, are 
uox fishes, although they iiihabit the sea. bee the 
classification of jishes [pisces). and also the order 
Cetacea 






mis brama), 2 ; the cod (Gadus 
calla7'us), 3; the mackarel (Scom- 
ber scomber), 4; the plaice (Fleic- 
ronectes plotessa), 5 ; the sole 
(Fleicronectes solea), 6; the turbot, 
(Pleuronectes maccimus), 7 ; the 
conger eel (Anguilla conger^ ^ 8; 
and numerous others. 

Besides these, there are many 
Crustaceans : the shrimp {Crangon 
vulgaris), 9; thej9r«:a."« {jPaloemon 
serratus), 10; the lobster {Ho ma' 



THAT S IT 



rus vulgaris), 11 ; the crab {Can 
cerpagurus), 12 ; and many more 



There are alsonumerous Molluscs, 
sueli as the oyster (Ostrea ediilis), 
13 ; the scallop {JPecten Jaco- 
hoeus), 14; the mussel {Mytilus 
edulis), 15; the ivhelk {JBuccinum 







undatuni), 16. These are but a 
few of the living forms that 
people the mighty deep, which 
teems with life. The waves and 
ripples of the sea at times become 
luminous with the 'pliospliorescent 
light of myriads of Medusa, and 



the boatman's oar seems, in the 





darl^ness of night, to dip into 
molten silver, 17. 

The ocean fields and plains, 
like those of the earth, abound 
with plants of various kinds. 
Some of them grow to an extraor- 
dinary size, while others are beau- 
tiful in their minuteness. The red- 
leaved delessaria {Delessaria san- 
guined), 18, displays its beautiful 




124. 

crimson fronds, 19, which are as 
thin as the most delicate silk ; 
and the feathery shrub {Ptilota 
plumosd) 20, displays its smaller 
leaves, arranged with perfect order 
upon its slender stem. These are 
the food of marine animals, as the 
vegetables of the earth are of 
terrestrial creatures. Shoals of 
fishes make periodical migrations 
to places where their particular 
kinds of food abound. Count- 
less multitudes of cod visit the 
I submarine mountains, on the 
coasts of Newfoundland, to feed 
upon the crustaceous and mol- 
luscous animals that there abound 
among the watery pastures ; and 



OR, PLATTT TEACHIT^a. 



millions oiherrings, mackarel, and 
pilchards, leaving the deep waters 
of the sea, approach the coasts, not 
merely for the purpose of spawn- 
ing, but to feed upon the ocean 
herbage of particular localities 
and seasons, and the numerous 
animals that have their habita- 
tions therein. While Colmnbus 
was exploring the seas of the 
western hemisphere, in the hope 
of discovering a new continent, 
he encountered such enormous 
masses of marine vegetation, that 
his crew became laint-hearted, 
and were about to mutiny 
against him ; they believed that 
the ship had arrived at the limits 
of the navigable waters, and 
feared that if they became en- 
tangled in the ocean forests, they 
would never be able to extricate 
themselves ! How true that 
" they that go down to the sea in 
ships, that do business in great 
waters, see the works of the 
Lord, and the wonders of his 



g--L 




125. 



by a peak, 2. The rugged rocks, 
which render the ascent of 
mountains dangerous, are crags, 
6. The way across a mountain, 
when difficult and narrow, is a 
pass, 3 ; and when it lies hetioeen 
two mountains, and is deep and 
difficult, it is a defile, or a gorge, 
5. The lower part of a mountain, 
which approaches the level of the 
surrounding country, is its hase, 
4. A number of mountains suc- 
ceeding each other, constitute a 
range or chain, 7, 8, 9. Several 




The Land, in its various forms, 
consists of mountains, 1, 2, some- 
times crowned by 2i summit, 1, or 



chains constitute a group, and 
several groups form a mountain 
system. An opening in a mountain, 
apparently caused by a disrup- 
tiire, and too narrow and. rugged 
to become a pass or foot wag, 
is a chasm, 10. The ir.ojiks 
of St. Bernard, keep a noble 
breed of Alpine spaniels, 11, 
which they employ to find tra- 
vellers who may have fallen 
into the chasms of the mountain, 
or have lost their way, or be- 
come benumbed by the snow- 
storm. These dogs carry little 



10 



THAT S IT: 



baskets of provisions lor the 
relief of sufferers. 

The highest mountain in 
Em'ojpe is Mont Blanc, one of 
the Alpine system, the summit 
of which is 15,730 (nearly 
16,000) feet above the level of 
the sea ; the highest in the Bri- 
tisJi Islands is Ben-Macahui, 
in Aberdeenshire, v^^hich rises 
4,418 (nearly 4,500) feet; the 
highest in Asia, and in the world, 
is Dhawala-giri, one of the 
Himalayan chain, 28,800 (nearly 
29,000) feet ; in Africa, the 
Kilmandjaro, 20,000 feet ; in 
North America, the St. Elias, 
volcanic, 17,860 (nearly 18,000) 
feet; in South America, the 
Aconcangua, volcanic, one of the 
great Andes system, 23,907 
(nearly 24,000) feet; in Oceanica, 
the Mona Koak, 16,000 feet. 
The elevation of the highest 
mountain (28,800 feet) is, there- 
fore, less than the greatest ascer- 
tained depth of the sea (46,236), 
by 17,436 feet, or more than three 
miles and a-quarter. Across the 
deep defiles, 5, and chasms, 10, of 
mountains, natural bridges, 11, 
are ■ some- 
times form- 
ed, as on 
the Icononzo, 
among the 
Andes. At 
the moun- 
tain elevation 
of 16,000 
leet at the 
equator, and 
at lesser 
heights in 
parallels of 
latitude towards th Northern and 




Southern Oceans, snow lies per- 
petually upon the mountains, 12. 




The height at vs^hich snow per- 
manently lies, is the snoiv line of 
the latitude, 13, 13. Clouds, 14, 
frequent! V lower SLhout mountains, 
■_-=^^E=-^^ 15, which, 

#li^ffl#^^J^ft-_ with the trees 
growing upon 
them, attract 
vapours float- 
ing in the air; 
and lience, in 
mountainous 
^., districts, in 

rainy lati- 
tudes, there is considerable hu- 
midity, and mists and drizzling 
rains are frequent. Heights 





which do not reach the altitudes 
of the smaller mountains (from 



OE, PLAI]Sr TEACHI]Sr&. 



11 



400 to 500 feet), comprise hills, 
16, 16. When one district 
of country stands considerably 
higher than another in the same 
locality", they form uplands, or 
Jiighlands, 17, and lowlands, 18. 
Mountains, instead of rising on 
one side, and descending over the 
other, frequently form the lofty 
borders to elevated tracts of 
country. Such tracts are called 
plateaux, or tahle-lands, 19. The 

19 



Grrass grows to a prodigious 
length, and the Thibetans rear 
immense numbers of sheep, goats, 
and yah huffaloes. 

A great extent of land, desti- 
tute of water, and unfit for 
animal or vegetable life, is a 
desert, 20. The Sahara, or Great 
Desert of Africa, consists of 




most extensive table-land of 
Europe is that of central Spain, 
the elevation of which is 2,000 
feet above the sea. Upon this 
are situated the two important 
provinces of Old and New 
Castile, the former including 
Madrid, the capital of the king- 
dom, with a population of 206,000 
(more than 200,000) . The table- 
lands of Persia range from 3,000 
to 6,000 feet above the sea ; of 
Mongolia, in Central Asia, from 
8,000 to 12,000 feet. Here, at 
an elevation, nearly equal to the 
summit of Mont Blanc, a vast 
plateaux extends, in which there 
are numerous lakes and rivers. 




a vast plain of burning sands. 
It covers on area nearly three 
times the size of the whole of 
France, and exhibits occasionally 
a sterile rocky hill, and a few 
green spots, or oases, where trees 
grow in the vicinity of springs. 
For a distance of 700 miles in 
one direction, no living creature 
finds a habitation, and travellers 
rarely venture. Hot winds raise 
clouds of burning sands, and those 
who have encountered them 
describe the effect as terrible. 
A great plain in Central Asia, 
the Gobi, is covered in partf with 
stunted griss, in others with 
shifting sands ; but there are 
occasionally fine pastiu-es. The 
Great Indian Desert extends 



12 



THAT S IT 



over an area nearly double the 
size of Grreat Britain ; but the 
whole of this is not absolutely 
desolate. There are several 
other deserts, but the Grreat 
Sahara is the most desolate 
and parched waste upon the 
globe. A material tract of land, 
without any great elevations or 
depressions upon its surface, con- 
stitutes a plain. Plains differ in 
accordance with their geographi- 
cal situations, and other essen- 
tials. Steppes are plains, or level 
wastes, destitute of trees, in some 
places covered with long rank 
grass, in others, sandy and bar- 




ren, 1. There are extensive 
steppes in the south-western part 
of Siberia. Steppes are interme- 
diate in character between de- 
serts and prairies. The latter are 




of North American scenery, 2. 
They are of vast extent, and 
though destitute of trees, except 
in particular regions and in the 
localities of rivers, they are co- 
vered with luxuriant grass, wild 
flowers, and are inhabited by wild 
animals. Here the American In- 
dian finds herds of bison (Bos 
Americanus^, 2. In South Ame- 
rica the lanos, or savannahs, are 
great plains, similar to the prai- 
ries of North America, 2 a ; but 




verdant plains, which form one 
of the distinguishing features 



during the dry season their ve- 
getation is entirely destroyed, 
and the ground opens in crevices. 

Humboldt thus describes tbe appearance of 
these withered savannahs, or, as he terms them. 
South American steppes: — "When under the 
vertical rays of the uever-clouded sun, the 
turfy covering falls into dust, the indurated 
soil craoks asunder, as if from the shock of an 
earthquake. If at such times two opposing 
currents of air, whose conflict produces a rota- 
tory motion, come in contact with the soil, the 
plain assumes a strange and singular aspect. 
Like conical clouds, thepoints of which descend 
to the earth, te sand rises through the rarefied 
air, in the electrically charged centre of the 
whirling current, lesembling the loud water- 
spout dreaded by the experienced mariner. 
The lowering sky sheds a dim, almost coloured 
light, on the desolate plain. The horizon 
draws suddenly nearer, the steppe seems to 
contract, and with it the heart of the wanderer. 
The hot dusty particles which fiU the air in- 
crease the suffocating heat, and the wind.blow- 
inur over the loiig-heafed soil, brings with it no 
refreshment, but raitier a still moie burning 
g ow. The pools gradually disappear, and 
under the influence of the parching drought, 
the crocodile and the boa become motionless, 
and fall asleep, deeply buried in the dried 
mud." 



OE, PLAIN TEACHING. 



13 



After the rainy season a vi- 
gorous vegetation rapidly springs 
up again. Pampas are other 
plains of South America, upon 
which coarse grass, wild oats, 
canes, reeds, and thistles grow 
in rank abundance. Silvas are 
wooded plains, 3, consisting of 




vast forests, with dense under- 
wood, the whole matted together 
with creepiug plants. JSach are 
the great woods of South Ame- 
rica, occupying the low-lands, 
through which the Amazon E-iver 
tiows. Deltas are plains rendered 




fertile by rhe waters of rivers, a- 
the JVile, Niger, and Mississippi 
^* The Tundra is a succession 

* They are 90 called, because the waters recediiifr 
f om the laud ureiierally fall off on three sides, leaving 
the laiul in a triangular t'orni, which, beinf? the form 
ot the letter A ot the Greek alphabet, takes the name 
ol delta. 



of desert tracts, 5, which lie upon 
the Plain of Siberia, towards the 




Polar Sea. In summer these 
tracts are covered with moss, and 
interspersed with numerous lalces 
and marshes ; in winter they are 
buried under a solid covering of 
ice. When the ice and snow dis- 
appear, coarse grass and rushes 
spring up, and stunted willows 
thrive during the brief Siberian 
summer. Karroos are plains in 
the interior of Southern Africa, 
remarkable as being the haunts 
of innumerable ivild heasts, 6. 




139. 

Here we find the elephant, rhino- 
ceros, giraffe, crocodile, etc. etc. 



14 



THAT S IT ; 



Of karroos Pringle has giTen a poetical 
description : — 

•' i^ for in the desert I love to ride, 
With the silent bush-boy alone by my side. 
Away, away, frona the dwellings of men. 
By the aiitelope's haunt, and the Ivffalo's 

glen ; 
By vaDeys remote, where the owrebi plays, 
Where the ^woo, the iassaybe, and harteheest 

graze, [cline 

And the eland and gemsbok unnurtured re- 
By skirts of gray forests o'eihung with Mild 

vine ; 
Where the elephant browses at peace in his 

wood, 
And the river-horse gambols ungeared in the 

flood. 
And the mighty rhinoceros wallows at will 
In the pool where the wild ass is drinking his 

fill. [cry 

O'er the brown karroo, where the bleating 
Of the sprin<fbok's fawn sounds plaintively ; 
Where the zebra wantonly tosses his mane, 
And he scours with his troop o'er the deso- 
late plain ; 
And the stately koodoo exultingly bounds. 
Undisturbed by the bay of the hunter's 

hounds." 

The Tarai is a plain wooded 
country in India, bounded by a 
swampy tract ; also the abode of 
numberless wild animals. Jungles 
are also woods characteristic of 
India, 7, and infested by the wild 




beasts native to its soil, llif 
Great Plain of JEwrope extends 
from the German Sea through 
Prussia, Poland, and Eussiu, to- 



wards the Ural Mountains, pre- 
senting tracts of heath, sand, and 
open pasture. Prom London to 
Moscow the land is generally 
level, and has been regarded by 
geogi'aphers as ovie vast plain. 

Land forming a hollow between 
hills, or surrounded by elevated 
lands, is a valley or dale, 8 ; fields 
in low situations are meadows, 9, 




141. 



•'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not 
want. He niaketh me to lie down in green 
pastures : He leadeth me beside the stiU 
waters." 

and as they give food to flocks 
and herds, are called also pas- 
tures, 10. 

A sudden rising of the land, 
on the margin of the sea, forms 




a cliff', 11. A sudden descent of 
iand, in an inland situation com- 



OR, PLAITS' TEACHiya. 



15 



prises a precipice, 12. Elevated 
lands, almost barren, are downs, 




13. The Northern Hemisphere 
(from the Equator to the Arctic 
Ocean) contains three times as 
much land as the Southern Hem- 
isphere (from the Equator to the 
Antarctic Ocean) ; and the sur- 
face area of islands, in proportion 
to that of continents, is only a 
twenty-third part. 

The land, like the sea, is liable 
to various disturbing phenomena. 
The most awfully- grand of these 
arise from eruptions, 14, ain! 
eartliqualces, which are connected 
with volcanic action in the 
depths of the earth. Volcanoes 
are believed to be produced 
by inflammable matters, which 
ignite by their mutual action, 
or by the access of water and 
air, or by the great pressure of 
the earth. Sometimes an extent 
of country amounting to five or 
six hundred miles is involved in 
these fiery discliarges. There are 



certain regions where volcanoes 
and earthquakes commonly pre- 
vail. These are generally in or 
near the ranges of great moun- 
tains. Among the Andes there 
is an uninterrupted chain of 
volcanoes. In some districts 
these disturbances are constant ; 
in some parts frequent ; and in 
others they recur at long inter- 
vals. Volcanoes are distinguish- 
ed from other mountains by 
their shape, being more conical 
than those that are non- volcanic. 
Upon their summits there are 
hollow cup-like depressions, 
called craters, 15, which form 




the vents of the fiery matter, 
and cast forth volumes of smoke, 
flame, and large pieces of a 
metallic substance called lava, 
16. During an eruption the 
earth appears to be enveloped 
in flames for miles around, while 
the upper air is darkened with 
dense clouds of smoke and ashes. 
Sometimes the matter thrown 
out of the crater is projected 
into the air, and borne a great 



16 



TH.VT S IT 



distance by the wind. In 184^5 
an eruption occurred in Iceland, 
and some of the ashes were, in 
ten hours afterwards, deposited 
upon the Scottish islands. Vol- 
canoes are sometimes wonderfully 
powerful : a block, of stone weigh- 
ing two hundred tons was pro- 
jected to a distance of nine miles 
from the crater from which it 
was thrown out. The city of 
Pompeii was swallowed up by an 
eruption of Mount Yesuvius, 
accompanied by an earthquake, 
in the Christian year 79. JMany 
of the citizens had assembled to 
witness public spectacles at a 
theatre when the eruption com- 
menced, and streams of lire ran 
down the sides of the mountain 
and buried the whole city and 
the country for miles around. 
Fifteen hundred years passed 
away before any traces of the 
lost city were found ! Another 
terrific eruption occurred in 
Iceland in 1783. It was accom- 
panied by a violent tempest, and 
the whole island seemed likely 
to be destroyed. Three cra- 
ters, opened upon Mount ISkapta 
and poured forth a torrent of 
lava which continued flowing for 
six weeks, and ran sixty miles 
into the sea, forming a rugged 
bank nearly twelve miles broad ; 
twelve rivers were dried up ; 
twenty-one villages destroyed ; 
and thirty-four others injured. 

Connected with volcanic action , 
in mountainous regions, is another 
remarkable phenomenon, the gey- 
sers, or hoiling springs of Iceland, 
17. About twenty-five miles from 
Mount Heel a, lying northward, 
there is a great number of these 




hot springs. The eruptions of 
the geysers occur at irregular 

:_ — ^r.- , intervals, and 

seldom last 
more than a 
few minutes at 
a time. The 
basin of the 
largest of these 
boiling foun- 
tains, called 
the Great Gey- 
ser, has the ap- 
pearance,when 
quiescent, of 
a circular pool 
of water. Pri- 
^^^- or to the up- 

heaving of the waters a dull 
rumbling noise is heard ; then 
the pond becomes troubled, and 
soon jets of water and steam 
are projected, with great force 
and noise, to a height of a hun- 
dred feet, frequently accompanied 
with large masses of stone. The 
earth is slightly shaken, and 
sounds proceed from beneath the 
surface like the firing of cannon. 
The eruption terminates hj the 
emission of jets of steam, and by 
a violent gurgling of the waters 
in the crater, 18. These dis- 
charges som.etimes occur three 
or four times in twenty-four 
hours. The hottest springs in 
Grreat Britain are those of Bath, 
which have a temperature of 160°; 
those at Clifton, 74^ ; Buxton, 
82^ ; Matlock, 69^ ; the Carls- 
bad springs reach 167^^, and those 
of Coguiiias, in Sardinia, 198^. 
The three volcanoes most known 
are JSIount Etna, in Sicily, Vesu- 
oius, in the Bay of Naples, and 
Ilecla, in Iceland. 



OR, VLATS TEACH1N-&. 



17 



Earthquakes, 19, arise from 
imdulations, heavings, and split- 
tings in the earth, caused by the 
expansion of substances under the 
effects of terrestrial fires. Large 
masses of rock are sometimes 
hurled from mountains, or forced 
to the surface. 20, from beneath 




the bowels of the earth. One 
theory explanatorj^ of earthquakes 
is, that our globe, and all other 
planetary bodies, were originally 
in a state of fire, and have since 
been gradually cooling ; that there 
yet exist within the bowels of the 
earth the remains of its former 
incandescent state; that water 
sometimes finds its way to the 
heated mass within ; and that this 
generates steam and gases which, 
in escaping, rupture and disturb 
the earth. Ajiiother theory is, 
that the earth contains chemical 
elements ; which, under certain 
circumstances, act upon each 
other and produce fire ; or, under 
the action of water, explode, 
melt, and fuse — by the intensity 
of heat — ^the parts of the earth 
around them. The effects of 



earthquakes, when they are severe, 
in populous districts, are very 
terrible. In cities, churches and 
buildings of every description are 
thrown down; thousands of people 
are crushed to death ; fire seizes 
upon the ruins, 20a ; and, in some 
instances, whole cities are buried. 




In the year 5-13, a great earth- 
quake was felt th]-oughout the 
known world ; in 742, more than 
500 towns were destro^^ed in 
Syria, Palestine, and Asia ; and 
the loss of life was beyond all 
calculation; in 1137,* 15,000 
people perished in the ruins 
caused by an earthquake at Can- 
tania, in Sicily ; 40,000 people 
perished by a similar cause at 
A^aples, in 1456 ; in 1531, 1500 
houses were thro\\Ti down at 
Lisbon, and 30,000 people pe- 
rished; in 1693, another occurred 
in Sicily, and destroyed Cautania 
and its 18,000 inhabitants. Alto- 
gether, more than 100,000 lives 
were lost. In 1731, another 
occurred in China, when 100,000 
people Avere swallowed up at 
Pekin ; at the great earthquake 



18 



THAT S IT 



in Lisbon, 1755, in about eight 
minutes, 50,000 inhabitants were 
swallowed up, and the principal 
parts of the city buried. In 1743, 
the town of Gruatemala, in 
Mexico — with all its riches, and 
8000 families — was swallowed 
up, the spot where it was buried 
being now a complete desert. Ij) 
England, earthquakes have been 
felt, in 1089 ; at Lincoln, 1142 ; 
in London, when St. Paul's and 
the Temple Churches were in- 
jured, 1580; in Ireland, 1690; 
in London, 1750 ; in Naples, 
1857, when many towns and vil- 
lages were greatly injured. 

To the action of extinct vol- 
canoes, and earthquakes of ages 
past, we owe the appearance of 
many of the remarkable caverns 
which exist in various parts of 
the earth. MngaVs Cave, 1, in 




148. 

Staffa, a Scottish island, is an in- 
teresting example. Here the lava, 
which once poured forth in a 
melting state, assumed the form 
of columns, 2, upon cooling. 
Other caverns arise from the 
action of water upon minerals : 



such are stalactite caverns, 3, in 
which water, impregnated with 
the carbonate of lime, becomes 




solidified, and assumes the form 
of icicles dropping from the roof, 
4i, or shooting from the jioor, 5. 
Those pendent from the roof are 
stalactites, 4 ; those rising from 
\h%^o\\n^stalagamites, 5 . Caverns 
ol this description occur in Derby- 
shire, in the islands of Paros 
and A ntiparos, America, and other 
parts of the world. 

An American trHveller thus describes liis 
walk through one of these interesting; places ; — 
" We advanced with ease through the windings 
of the cavern, which at times was so low as to 
oblige us to stoop, at others so high that the 
roof wan lost in the gloom. But everywhere 
the most wonderful varieties of stalactites and 
crystals met our admiring view. At one time 
we saw the guides lighting up some distant gal- 
lery, far above our heads, which had all the 
appearance of verandahs adorned with Gothic 
tr;icery ; at another, we came into what seemed 
ihe long-drawn aisles of a Gothic cathedral, 
brilliantly illuminated. The whimsical variety 
of forms surpasses all powers of description. 
Here was a butcher's shop, which seemed to 
be hung with joints of meat ; and there a 
throne, vdth a magnificent cam py. There was 
the appearance of a statue, with a brarded 
head, so perlect, that you could have thought 
it the work of a sculptor ; and further (.n, to- 
ward the end of our walk, the figure of a 
warrior, with a helmet and coat of mail, and 
his arms crossed, of the illusion of which, with 
all my efforts, I could not possibly divest my 
niind. Two stalactites, descending close to 
each other, are called, in a German inscription 



OE, PLAIN teachi:n&. 



19 



over them, with seutimentality truly Gem a j, 
' The union of two he.irts.' The resemblance 
is certainly very striking. After passing ' the 
hearts,' we came to the ' ball-room.' It is 
customary for the inhabitants of Adelsberg, and 
the surrounding country, to couie on Whit- 
Monday to this grotto, which is brilliantly 
illuminated, and the pjrt called the ball-room 
is actually emploved for that purpose by the 
peasantry. A gallery, very appositely formed 
by nature, serves '.he musicians for an orches- 
tra, and wooden ch.mdeliers are suspended 
from the vaulted roof. It is impossible for me 
to describe minutely all the wonderful varie- 
ties ; the 'Fountains' seeming, as they fall, 
to be frozen into stone, the ' Graves, with 
weeping willows waving over them; the ' Pic- 
ture,' the ' Cannon ' the ' Confessional,' the 
' Pulpit,' the ' Sausage-maker's shop,' and 
the ' Prisons.' I must not omit mentioning 
one part which, thougu less g.and than many 
others, is extremely curious. The stalactites 
have here formed themselves like folds of 
linen, and are so thin as lo be transparent. 
Some are like thirt-ruffles, having a hem, and 
looking as if they were embroidered ; and 
there is one, called the ' Curtain,' which 
hangs exactly in natural folds, like a white 
and pendant sheet. Everywhere you have the 
dripping as of a continual shower, showing 
that the mighty work is still going on, thougti 
the several stages of its progress are imper- 
ceptible. Our attention was so excited, that 
we had walked two hours without feeling the 
least fdtigue, or being sensible of the passage 
of time. We had }<one beyond the point 
where most travellers had stopped, and had 
been rewarded for it by seeing stalactites of 
undiminished whiteness, and crystals ghttering, 
as the light siione upon them, like unnvunbered 
diamonds." 

Caverns upon sea-shores are 
chiefly produced by the action of 
winds and waves upon rocks of 
varying hardness. The effect of 
water upon internal and unseen 
parts is frequently exhibited by 




rocks, which stand boldly out, 
and encounter the action of the 
elements. Sometimes dense 
masses of stone are worn through, 
and arcJied rochs, 6. produced. 



The condition of the surface of 
the land is liable, with the change; 
of seasons, to considerable varia- 
tions. G-reat falls of snow lay 
whole countries under a deep 
mantle of congealed rain. Ava- 
lanches, 7, produce disastrous re- 




An inhabitant of Savoy, having acquired a 
sum of money in France, was returning home 
with his family ; and, while crossing a defile of 
Mount St. Bernard, an avalanche descended 
^'rom the mountain, and buried him. His 
wife, seized with terror, remained for some 
minutes motionless, when she saw her eldest 
child fall dead with the cold. The despairing 
mother perceived an alarm-bell, and, taking 
her little son in her arms, fell on her knees 
and pulled the rope, which, having rotted with 
exposure to the weather, broke with the first 
sound. 

suits in countries where immense 
quantities of snow suddenly de- 
scend from the mountains into 
the plains. The countries where 
they are most frequent are the 
Tyrol, Switzerland, Fiedmont, and 
Savoy. Avalanches are distin- 
guished by the name of drft 
when the wind raises the light 
flakes of snow, and bears it, loose 
and powdery, to some distant 
spot. Rolling avalanches are 
those which are formed by de- 
tached masses of snow assuming 
a round form in their descent 



20 



THAT S IT 



from the mountains, and by pres- 
sure gaining size and weight as 
they proceed. Sliding avalanclies 
are those in which, from the 
warmth of the earth, masses of 
snow are detached at the earth's 
surface, and glide downwards, 
starting other masses in- their 
course. Gflacier avalanclies are 
those in which the snow, after 
partial melting, becomes frozen 
into solid blocks possessing great 
hardness and density. Some- 
times entire villages, together 
with their inhabitants, are de- 
stroyed by these avalanches. 
Upon the commencement of an 
avalanche a Ioav, rumbling sound 
is heard, and the inhabitants who 
hear the warning endeavour to 
escape. The noise increases, un- 
til it becomes as loud as thunder, 
then, overwhelming everything 
that opposes them, the vast 
masses descend, and spread death 
and desolation. Stationary gla- 
ciers are great accumulations of 
ice, occupying the levels and 
slight declivities of mountains. 
Those of Tyrol, Switzerland, Pied- 
mont, and Savoy occupy alto- 
gether a superficial extent of 
1484 (nearly 1500) miles. Even 
more terrible than these ava- 
lanches and glaciers are the land- 
slips, to which the same coun- 
tries are liable. The snow melt- 
ing by day, runs into the crevices 
of the mountains, 8, and there 
freezing, splits off by its expan- 
sion enormous masses of stone. 
The cracking of the rocks sounds 
like the firing of artillery. These 
land-slips frequently occur by 
night, and so rapidly as to leave 
no hope of escape, should they 



fall in the direction of an inha- 
bited spot, 9. 




152. 

Such are the most remark- 
able of the phenomena to which 
the land is liable. Happily 
for man, there are places where 
he may dwell free from the 
alarms of these terrible visita- 
tions — where, when his days of 
toil are over, he may sit down in 
peace, and contemplate the won- 
ders of the world in which God 
has given him a dwelling ! 

The various aspects of the land 
in connection with the sea give 
rise to interesting definitions of 
coast geography. A broad recess 
in the shore, with expanse of sea 
before it, is a hay, 10. But the 
term hay is sometimes applied to 
a great arm of the sea, as the Bay 
of Biscay and the Bay of Bengal. 
Bajfin\ Bay and Hudson^ s Bay, 
both o]i the eastern coasts of 
North America, are larger divi- 
sions of the ocean than is com- 
monly understood by the term 
hay; they are, properly, large 
inland seas. — Amoderate distance 
from the shore, where a ship en- 



OE, PLAIN TEACHING. 



21 



joys clear sea, with no interrup- 
tions of land, is the offing, 11. A 



hay -like form. The Oulf of Mex- 
ico is one of the larofest. "Prom 




small inlet, capable of being some- 
times used as a place of shelter, 
but generally dangerous in tem- 
pestuous weather, when the wind 
blows towards the shore, is a 
cove, 12. The Cove of Cork, which 
changed its name to Qiieenstown 
upon the visit of Queen Victoria, 
is the finest on the British coasts. 



this great gulf issues that power- 
ful ocean current t\i.Q gulf stream , 
one of the divisions of which finds 
its way to the frozen North, and 
there undermines large fields of 
ice, which afterwards, moving to- 
wards warmer latitudes, consti- 
tute the icebergs met with in the 
Atlantic ocean. Sea"?, 155,arelar2re 




A hight is a small bay forming 
a bend between two points of 
land. A gulf 12a, occupies a 
greater recess in the land than a 
hay, 10. A^wZ/'and a hay differ 
only in extent ; we apply hay to 
a large or small recess of the sea. 
but gulf only to a larger extent of 
Vv'ater, intersecting the land in a 



areas of water nearly enclosed by 
land, as th-Q Mediterranean Sea,t\ie 
Black Sea, and the Baltic >S'ea,and 
generally contain within them all 
the distinguishing characteristics 
of the greater ocean and its coast 
lines. Thus, there are in the 
jMeciiterranean Sea islands, hays, 
\ gulfs f straits, etc. Boads, 13, are 



22 



THAT S IT 



places not far from the shore, 
where, from deep water, and the 
land intercepting wiods from the 
stormy points, ships may ride 
securely. They are sometimes 
called roadsteads. Estuaries, or 
friths, 14, are arms of the sea, 
which meet the mouths of rivers 
or lakes; where the streams of 
river waters meet the tides of the 
ocean. Creehs, 15, are small in- 
lets, generally running into the 
land from hays or coves. A cliafi- 
nel, 16, is a straight or narrow sea 
between two continents, or be- 
tween a continent and an island. 
The chops of a channel are the 
direct line from the sea, through 
the channel ; thus ^sailors say, 
the wind " blew right into the 
chops of the channel." And hence, 
when the wind alters, the wind 
" chopped round." An island, 
17, is a tract of land completely 
surrounded by water. A group 
of islands, or a sea in which there 
are many islands, forms an archi- 
pelago. An isthmus, 18, is a neck 
or narrow slip of land, by which 
two continents are connected, or 
by which a peninsula is united 
to the main-land. A continent, 
19, is a great extent of land, not 
disjoined nor interrupted by sea. 
A strait or sound, 20, is a nar- 
rower passage than a channel, 
between two contineyits, or a con- 
tinent and an island, or a nar- 
row entrance from the outer 
ocean to an inland sea. 

A cape, 1-155, is the head,point, 
or ending of a continent, or of any 
other land, terminating in a point 
in the sea. Thus, the Cape of 
Good Hope is the point of the 
great continent of Southern Af- 



rica. A. peninsula, 2, is a com- 
paratively small portion of land 
united to a continent by an isth- 
mus. The coast, 3, is that portion 
of land which lies near to the 
shore ; the shore is land which is 
washed hy the waves. A bar, 4i, is 
a bank of sand, gravel, or rock, 
forming a shoal at the mouth of a 
river, 5, or harbour, obstructing 




156. 

the entrance, or rendering it diffi- 
cult in certain states of the tide. 
A haven, or harhour, is any place 
which affords shelter to ships and 
smaller vessels. The waves, which 
are broken by collision with the 
shore, are Ireahers, 6, the foam 




of the waters broken on the shore 
is smf, 7 ; the light foam of waves 
at sea is spray. A chain or range 
of rocks, lying at or near the sur- 



OR, PLA.IN TEACH LNtt. 



23 



face of the water, or covered at 
high, and left dry at low, water, 
is a reef, 8; the extremity of a roclc, 
running out into the sea, is a 
point, 9. 

Large bodies of water, which 
occupy inland situations, and 
have no direct communication 
with the ocean, are Jalces, 10. 




Grreat Britain, is Loch Lomond, 
Avhich is twenty-four miles in 
length, and seven in its greatest 
breadth. The largest lake, or 
lough, in Ireland is Lough Neagh, 
being about eighteen miles in 
length, and eleven or twelve in 
width. The most picturesque 
lakes in G-reat Britain are those 
of Killarney 

In hilly and mountainous 
)lnres springs, 11. rise, and their 



The Caspian (called also the Cas- 
pian Sea), which is intermediate 
between Europe and Asia, is the 
greatest. It covers an area of 
130,000 square miles, and is com- 
monly called a sea ; its waters 
are salt, but less so than those 
of the ocean. The largest fresh- 
water lakes are those of North 
America, where there prevails a 
complete system of lakes and 
rivers. Lakes Superior, Huron, 
Michigan, Erie, and Ontario are 
the chief. The most important 
lake in South America is Lake 
Titicaca (tit -e-ka'- ka) . The 
largest lake in England is AYin- 
dermere, in Cumberland, which 
is ten and a-half miles long, 
and one mile broad ; the largest 
in AVales is the Lake Bala, or 
Llywn Tegid, about four miles 
long and two-thirds of a mile 
broad. In Scotland, lakes or 
lochs are very numerous. The 
largest in Scotland, and also in 




" From a shady nook, by a mossy stone, 
Midst ferns and brambles rudely grown. 
By day or ni<^ht unceasing still. 
Hear the sound of the mountain rdl. 
Rippling, dripphng, rippling, drippling ! '* 

waters flowing downwards, form 
small rills, hroohs, streams, or 
rivulets, 12. 

Augmented by other rivulets, 
on their way, called tributaries, 
and swollen by occasional rains, 
the waters form larger streams, 




160. 

12, and produce waterfalls, 13, 
as they descend over sli;2;ht ele- 



24 



THAT S IT ; 



A^ations, and cascades when the 
descent is so considerable as to 
greatly increase the agitation of 
the stream. The largest water- 
fall in England is situated upon 
the river Tees ; there are several 
also in Ireland, Scotland, and 
Wales. Still greater descents 
than those which distinguish wa- 
terfalls and cascades, produce ca- 

taracts, 14. 

The falls of 
the Niagara, 
in Canada, 
form two 
splendid ca- 
taracts, one 
of which has 
a descent of 
158 feet, the 
other of 164 
feet. The 
traveller to 
the Falls 
hears, at the 
distance of 
two or three 
miles, a deep booming sound, 
and this becomes louder, until 
he stands in view of the bewil- 
dering cataract. 

An observer thus describes the efi'ect :— 

" So entirely was I unprepared for the enor- 
mous volume of water, that, in the w-eakiiess of 
my comprehension and inability to grasp the 
scene, I was umvilling to turn my acliing eyes 
from the glorious spectacle, apprehending it 
could only endure for a seasou, and that the 
overwhelming rush of water must speedijy 
cease. But as 1 gazed with tremblina: anxiety, 
and marked no change beyond the masses of 
spray clouds, swayert by the wind across the 
inighiy sheet which ever retained its sublime 
proportions, the truth bet; an to force itself 
upon me, tliat tor thousands of years the wa- 
ters had been tailing, by day and night, at all 
times and seasons, ever soundii'.g, in a voice 
which, once heard, can never he for^'otten, the 
praise of Him who bade them flow. Here, 
indeed, may be felt the beauty of ibe words in 
our canticle, 'O je c^eas and Hoods, bless ye 
the Lord, praise hirn, and masjuifj' him for 
ever ! ' — and it was probably vviLu toelings of 




deep awe that the Indian of olden time, 
worshipping the Great Spirit, fzave the pecu- 
lia'ly appropriate name O-Ni-aw-ta-rah, the 
Thtiiidev of Waters, to this matchless scene. 
It is indeed eloquent ' as with the voice of a 
great multitude — the voice of many waters 
— t! e vol e of many thunderings, saying, 
AUeluia, for the Lord God omn potent 
reigneth.' " 

In passing over a long decli- 
vity of land, the waters form 
rapids or torrents, 15. Three of 
these obstruct the navigation of 




162. 

the Canadian river the Great St. 
Lawrence, and canals have been 
cut to connect the navigable por- 
tions. Waters having found 
their way to the valleys and low 
levels of the earth, spread out 
into fertilizing rivers, 16, impart- 

16 




ing beauty to scenery, and ailord- 
ing means of communication be- 



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